Can't Watch you Slippin' Away
by TD-Yukiryuu
Summary: Noctis Lucis Caelum x Reader... For Noctis Lovers... You fall in love with the handsome prince, and for your surprise, he loves you back. You knew it would be hard to love a prince, but you just can't ignore his kindness and sincere feelings... so you surrender to the sweet truth. But will your two distant worlds be as one? I apologize for any grammatical or typing mistakes. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1: My Name is Noct

Can't Watch you Slippin' Away (part 1)  
Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.  
Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix

Part I: "My Name is Noct".

You are walking on the crowded streets of the city, trying to find a place where you can empty your mind from the confused thoughts that were haunting you for weeks now. You were studying your surroundings as you take each and every step forward to God knows where… You were walking back from school, and it's been quite a while since you left there, but you didn't feel like going back home; not yet. You thought you'd rather enjoy having a little time enjoying yourself being alone just walking around, until you find yourself into places that you weren't so familiar with. But you didn't bother yourself worrying about being lost, so you think to yourself…"I'll find my way back home, somehow"… The streets were unfamiliar, but you seem to enjoy them as they glow against the warm rays of a beautiful setting sun… Even the buildings, the green trees that stand in rows on every street, the shops, the fancy restaurants, even the people… everything was new to you, but you still feel like walking and not going back to where you are supposed to be hours ago. You mumble to yourself: "So what… why going back home? Like I even have something special to go back to…" you play a smirk on your face, even though you didn't feel like laughing or smiling, didn't even have any reason in mind to be happy or anything… You felt like everything was going the way it wasn't supposed to… Even your life was not in place…

It hasn't been a long time since you moved to this city… You always felt like a stranger, wherever you happened to be, even in your own hometown… You knew you didn't belong anywhere. That same feeling went on gaining even more since you left your hometown and family and moved to this city. And the reason why you had to leave? You were very intelligent and had great grades in the high school you attended back were you grew up and lived most of your life… The principal seemed to acknowledge your geniality that he wanted to help you increase your experience in education. That's how you received a personal invitation from the instructors of a famous academy that was situated outside your hometown to join their classes and profit from the outstanding opportunities that that school offers as for education, meeting new people and more… your parents were very excited about it, you know, a typical act of proud parents. But you were nervous for the fact that you had to leave your beloved family, your hometown, everything you've ever known there…

But the truth must be told that you didn't have friends… None… Even in your school, and despite of everybody knowing how intelligent and nice you were, they barely acknowledged your presence, maybe for jealousy, or maybe, you think, it's because of who you are… you're not much opened to others, friendly but not social, nice but preferred to stay alone. So you knew that you had nobody in this world but your parents… but still, you thought to yourself, maybe, just maybe, you could find yourself somewhere else, somewhere out of here… 'What if I truly belonged in a place I never knew?... I need to find myself, find who I really am'… That's how you found yourself here, in the city that you never thought you'll ever even go to for a visit… And here you are, in The City State that holds in its depth the world's very last remaining Crystal, ruled by the Caelum Family. You've always heard how beautiful that city is, but you didn't really believe it until you saw it with your own eyes for the very first time in your life. It wasn't beautiful as they said it was, no, it was breathtaking… the city of Dreams, you thought, the perfect place to be, a paradise maybe; or could it be the ideal state that the Greek philosopher Plato was talking about… all you cared about anyway is that you loved that place…

But now, after few weeks moving here, the fact of being in a whole new and unknown place, leaving your parents and everything you were familiar with made you think again about staying here… you thought that things would get better for you somehow, concerning your "social" "issues". But it hasn't been a long time 'till you realized that everything turned to get even worse… much worse: the thing that you didn't expect, not even think about, is that the academy you've recently transferred to wasn't just like any other: The city state of Caelum wasn't the only "fancy" thing here… everything was luxurious, even the very school you're attending now. It was more like an "Aristocratic" academy. That made you feel so nervous, being in such school, with all those haughty and snobbish students around you; you sometimes even hear them murmuring about you; you could swear that they must have been saying some jokes about you… again, why can't you ever fit in? Everything was against you: the way the students look at you with "disgust", the truth that you knew about yourself, to speak with more generality… your "whole life".

All these thoughts of sadness, regret and loneliness were fogging your mind while you were still walking. You aren't able to realize how dark it is outside for a young girl like you to walk alone. Your sense of the time passing by was totally numb; all you could think about is how desperate you are. Your mind was too blind to see how unwise it is to walk in the dark streets solo, and your senses were too deaf so you can't even hear the slow rhythm of your own footsteps… until the time when the silence of your spirit was suddenly disrupted when you hear some loud giggles behind you, from the sound of them, they didn't seem to hold any good intentions in their wavering echo. These giggles were enough to awake you from your daydreaming state, and made your heart jump with fear, so you turn around to see three men, with alcohol bottles in the hand of each of them, apparently drunk, walking with unsure steps toward you… at this point you are terrified by their looks, but you thought that if you start running now, they won't be able to catch up with you, as they stumble and lose your track since their minds are completely intoxicated. So all you manage to do is quickly turn around to run away from them. But your plan totally fails as you bump on something that was standing just in front of you while you were starting to run. You are shocked as two strong hands grab your arms, and you look up to find a mischievous smirk on the face of a tall and ugly man who refused to unleash his grip. You yell at him: "Leave me alone… What do you want from me?!" Your trembling tone makes his smirk even wider, and he addresses the three men who were now standing behind you: "So boys, what should we do with this one?" As he spoke, you could smell the disgusting intoxicating breath of his… you try your hardest to free yourself from his strong grip, but it all went in vain. Then one of the men behind says: "Um, ehe'… where shall we start with first?" Your eyes widen as you hear what he said and your fear climbs up your throat so you couldn't even groan. You feel your whole body is shivering with a freezing strike of panic at the same time as your heartbeats are speeding up with terror making your heart burns in your chest. How could you escape this horrible fate? 'Whatever it takes'… You lift up your knee with all your power and kick the man who's grabbing you in his stomach, what made him groan with pain and, unwillingly, he releases your arms so now you're free of his dirty hands… but not for long, as one of the other men runs towards you, and catches you as you try to escape. "YOU BRAT!" the once groaning man says, and he punches you in the face but you didn't fall, for the other trapped you in his arms. "How dare you kick me that way?" He shouts. "You know what, you wrote your end with your own hand… finish her boys." Now all of them draw closer to you, enjoying the delicate touch of your skin and the smooth curves of your sides. You could do nothing but close your eyes and wish this nightmare would just disappear. One of the men grabs the shirt of your school uniform, and because of his violent clutch, he rips the clothes off your right shoulder, uncovering your soft and silky skin. That makes them hungry for more as they hassle over you. 'I SHOULDN'T be here…' you moan to yourself '…I'm done with'. You say these few goodbye words to yourself and close your eyes, praying for a miracle… You can sense the smell of alcohol strangling your breath; you know they are too close from you but still, you didn't give up. You pull away, strive, scream, cry, struggle even pray: but all your attempts were in vain. One of the men holds you from behind and starts to brush across your uncovered shoulder and up to your neck with his lips. You scream and beg him to stop. For your surprise, he DOES stop, as he pulls away, releasing you from his grip. But that was not willingly of him: you slowly open your eyes and realize that the men were not concentrating on you anymore. You didn't even have the power to look behind you to find out what's distracting them. One of the men says: "Let go of our pal… what do you want anyway? Can't you see we're in the middle of something here?" You then hear a warm voice speaking from behind you: "Then leave the girl alone, and I promise I won't hurt you". At this moment you are still crying bitterly, feeling the burning tears falling down your cheeks, and your throat soughing with all your screams imprisoned inside. You try to turn slowly as your legs tremble densely. Then you see the man that was enjoying touching your shoulder himself trapped in someone else's mercy. There was a spiky haired young man standing right behind him, dressed all in black, and placing his sword around the drunken man's neck.

"Ignis, Prompto. Take care of the others." the young man orders. Then two men come from nowhere and stand in front of the gang. One with glasses, wearing a dark suit, and the other with blonde hair with a gun lifted upon his shoulder. This last one, confidently stepping forward, sarcastically answers: "Want us to kick your butts out of here or simply break your jackass necks?" The drunken gang lose their patience at hearing that and attack the three others… you only stand there watching the fight, unable to move a muscle, but you are amazed how strong the three new coming guys are, more particularly that spiky guy… he, somehow, caught your attention the most… he was able to fight two men at the same time! It wasn't a long time before the drunken men start running away, threatening: "you will pay for this… we will come back!", as the blonde boy couldn't just keep quiet, yelling back: "Well next time we'll just be waitin' here for ya; and ya better go yourselves and pay some dirty green for the nasty bottles ya've got there". You follow the gang with your eyes as they flee disappearing from your sight. You still can't believe what just happened. The young man, putting his sword back in its sheath, approaches you and stretches his hand to you, for he could see how unsure your legs were. He could feel your fright, so he tries to make you feel better.

"Are you alright?" He asks. "Are you hurt? We are sorry we weren't here on time." You look at him, and you can see how sincere his eyes were. But now you are not ready for more surprises. You answer: "I'm okay." He could see how cruel the gang was with you, he notices the painful reddish streak on your cheek, and the ripped right side of your shirt. He slowly moves his hand to fix the tearing and cover your shoulder, when he unnoticeably touches your skin with his fingers. Your body shivers for his touch, so you smack his hand off your shoulder and quickly pull away from him, now able to finally speak out yelling: "What do you want from me?" He slowly drops his hand down to his side, with a shock on his handsome face. The sweet touch of your silky skin stimulated his senses, causing him to blush insanely. It's like he has never touched a girl before! He then turns his face to the side, trying to hide the shyness that appeared on his now red cheeks, but you failed to notice his face warming up, for the lights on the streets were dim so the shadows were dominating all your surroundings. But you could see how embarrassed he was for being the one to boost your panic even more, so you didn't know what to do: should you apologize for your action, or simply break away to a safer place? He then answers you with a timid tone that you didn't expect from someone like him, with a hint of quiver in his voice: "I… I, I'm te-terribly s-sorry… I didn't mean to fr… t-to frighten you that way…" Then he realizes how pathetic he was using this "childish" way of apologizing, so he continues, trying to work better on his voice this time: "um… ehhemm… well.. I eeemmm…. ehem.. I apologize. I just wanted to help." You look back at him, with a confused gaze in your eyes. You calm yourself down, and hardly try to fix your voice so it won't sound trembling any more. You address the young man using a now solid tone: "I asked what you want from me… and who the hell do you think you are to touch me that way!" He looks at you confused and shocked as you spoke these words, then you see one of his companions, the "talky" one, jumps in front of you with an angry gander painting his young face, exclaiming: "Is that the "thank you" we get? You girl need to be taught how to speak with others… especially people who have just saved your life… by the way, don't you know whom YOU are talking to? You must show the right respect for the prin-…" He couldn't finish his gibbering before the spiky haired man grabs his shirt from behind and pulls him back making him lose his balance. He says to the braggart boy: "Prompto, I believe I have to teach YOU how to address a girl like her". Then he looks back at you with a sorry smile: "Forget his nonsensical talk… I apologize on his part… I know I was horribly rude for not introducing myself in the first place…" he moves his hand up to his chest, and slightly bows to you, which made him look even more like gent, saying: "My name is Noctis. You can call me Noct. Nice to meet you."

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Chapter 2: Same Touch, Different Feeling

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum  
Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix

Part II: "Same Touch, Different Feeling"

You are affected by the polite way the handsome young man was talking to you. He approaches you, and with all respect, he bows slowly to you saying: "My name is Noctis. You can call me Noct…" He looks back to the blonde guy and says: "…and JUST…" turning back to you "… JUST Noct". The blonde haired boy looks at him with puzzlement, shouting: "What the heck did I do? And what's with this "JUST" of yours? I was just trying to tell this girl here who the hell you a…." Again, his wide babbling mouth was shut as the well-dressed man with glasses covers his mouth with his palm, saying: "Can you calm down please, Prompto… He said "JUST"; our job here is to make it a "JUST"". The impatient random boy strives to free himself from his friend's hand, muttering some words that were not so clear. The glasses guy then says to him: "Say please, and I will let go". He keeps stubbornly struggling and struggling for some air, but can't slip from the grip. He comes to a point when he surrenders, abortively shrugs and makes a puppy face with his eyes: "hmmmm… (a different way to say "please") :-3". Finally, he is released from his friend's grip, and he loudly inhales for some air… "Ya almost killed me… Ignis. What kinda joke is this? Would ya just tell me why ya don't let me say wha… wait a min…" He then begins speaking in a lower voice, barely heard (which was unusual of him), facing his elegant friend: "Is this what I think it is? Is he trying to hide-…". Once again he is interrupted by the glasses guy saying: "Yes, Prompto… yes. Would you now be patient and think before you speak another frivolous word of yours?"

You have no idea what is going on with their "private" conversation; that makes you feel uncomfortable and troubled. The spikey haired young man notices that, so he turns to the two others and says: "Would you be kind enough to stop freaking her out?" They look at him and nod: "Yes sir". He then turns back at you and asks: "It would be impolite from our side to leave you here alone; the gang might come back any moment possible. Would you offer me the honor to give you a ride home?" His conduct wiped the panic off your chest, and somehow made you feel much more comfortable, even though you still don't know what he's attempting to do. He then adds: "I know you don't trust us, and you've gone through a lot today… but, believe me, I mean no harm. I really want to help you… at least, take you back home." He then gives you his hand, and draws a faint smile on his lips. "It will be okay… I promise." He says.

Your mind says to not trust this guy; he's a stranger, he could be even worse than the drunken gang you faced minutes ago. 'Must not trust him', a voice inside your head whispers. But your heart trusted the gentleman's words somehow, and didn't doubt a bit his intentions. Automatically, your hand rises and draws closer to his. You try to pull it back, but you realize that it was moving by itself. Something inside you trusted him, and pushed your hand to declare a treaty of peace with him. Your hand moves slowly towards him, until finally both your hands meet, as he takes yours with all care and tenderness, paying all attention not to give you any reason to fear him. However, your heart starts beating ever faster, and you can feel the heat escaping your skin; but the feeling of it was different from the time when you were trembling with scare over the touch of the street drunken rats. This time, it feels good, comforting. This time… you didn't want to let go.

Your body was warming up so now you can't even feel the unusual warmth of his hand. He is not less nervous than you already are. But he somehow managed to not show how red his face is. It is hard for him to pretend, but he looks better stable than you are. "Sir, we better get going. It's late already", the glasses guy breaks the awkward silence that fell on you two. This call was like an alarm that seems to have awakened the man holding your hand from his slumber, so he remarks the call and plays a brief nod to you in order to take your permission to go. When you nodded back, he pulls your hand and leads you to the car.

When you got to the car, he opens the back door for you, and asks you to go in. You do so, or maybe something inside you is pushing you to do things you weren't sure about. Anyway, he comes in from the other door, and sits beside you in the rear seat. The car was incredibly "fancy". More like a limo. You already know that everything in the city is exquisite, but this car was one of a kind. 'Only kings and princes fit here, not people like me', you speak to yourself. A mild voice addresses you from your side: "May I ask for your home address?" the gentleman asks. You, once again, unwillingly, answer him his question…

'Why did I tell him my address? What if he keeps haunting me after knowing where I live? That is if I ever get home safe… I'm doomed…' you think. 'Is it something about him that makes my body act ignoring my fears? Is it the way he acts and speaks with me?' Your eyes wanted to steal a glimpse of him, but you force yourself not to even try to look at him, not even from the corner of your eyes. Thoughts were running in your head until you notice that the doors of the car are locked; you firmly ask: "Why are the doors locked?" The blonde guy, sitting in the passenger's seat, turns his head and looks at you from over his shoulder: "Why? Do ya think if we unlock them, you will simply jump off the car? Is that how scary we are?" He winks at you, which makes you lose your temper completely and answer with a bold tone: "I'm not afraid… I just don't trust men like you!" He is shocked at your response and is getting ready to answer back, when Noctis cuts him off, saying with a low voice: "Unlock the doors". The driver answers: "but sir, the orders were clear. Always keep the doors loc-…" Noctis repeats with a now higher tone: "I said: Unlock the doors". His order was obeyed with no questioning. Then he turns back to you saying: "If you're not comfortable being with us, we can drop you out here." You freeze after his words, and lean your back against the back of the leather seat. With uncertain words, you mumble: "I… I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to say what I just said…" He looks at you with concern now. "You know what I had to go through… I could be done with if-… if you guys weren't there. I… emmm… Thank you Sir."

"Finally… the long awaited words… Finally spoken" the blonde boy says. As he was giggling and enjoying his farcical personality, Noctis kicks his seat from behind, making him shrug with embarrassment. Noctis continues the conversation with you: "No problem, you don't have to thank me… nor apologize… you didn't do anything wrong to feel sorry for. People like the one sitting in front of me deserve even rougher talk…" That made the blonde guy jump from his seat and turn around: "WHAT!" The two others coldly say to him: "Shut up, Prompto!" "Uh, so you all are against me now!", the golden haired monkey says, with a dim voice, sitting back in his place. "And didn't I ask you to JUST call me Noct?..." Noctis continues. "Forget about the "sir" and "mister" and all these "titles of Honor" stuff… Noctis is good enough." You gaze at him as he speaks to you, and you don't realize how much warm your cheeks are turning to be. His eyes, his looks, his hair, the way he speaks, the way he dresses… everything about him was mysterious, but yet interesting; For a moment, you were able to forget all your fears and all the risks that clenched around your heart. He made you feel safe, even though you knew this feeling was not sound, but you DO feel safe now.

But there are still lots of things that you are not aware of, concerning these men. From the elegance in the way he dresses, the tactfulness in his speech and the respectful way the others address him with "sir", you can tell that Noctis is a man of high position. So you ask: "O-okay, I know your name… but… who are you?"  
He takes a deep breath, trying to think of a good answer, while the two in the front are looking at each other wondering what his response would be. He then exhales, looking at you as he raises his eyebrow. "I-… I am a man who likes to be… "Oneself"… that's who I am." This wasn't the answer you were expecting. He seemed like he didn't want you to know his identity.

"By the way…" he continues, trying to divert the concentration on his stupid answer, or that's what he thought it was, "I want you to know my friends' names here… came late, I know, but… anyway, this is Ignis (pointing to the driver), my personal bodygu-…" he pauses, hesitating, maybe pondering for a moment in what to say, then resumes: "… my personal… emmm, fr-… friend". Ignis perceives his friend's confusion so he tries to support him by looking at you through the front mirror and saying: "It a great honor to meet you, Miss". Noctis looks so confounded… but he tries his best to show the cool side of him…: "… and this one is Prompto, the Buffoon". Once he said this, the blonde guy hides his face in his palms, drowning in some kind of a temporary fake "depression". "Why does everybody call me that?!" he mutters while burying his face in his hands.  
You slightly smile at his reaction, realizing how goofy he is. He's not scary as you thought he was. All the three didn't seem frightening, by the contrary, they tried their best to wipe the puzzlement from your expressions.  
"Nice to meet you too guys…", you reply, "I'll try not to forget your names."  
"You better not forget ME!" Prompto says, with a self-confident spirit.  
"So, tell me, are you a "Caelum" Academy student? I could tell from your uniform." Noctis asks.  
"Yes, I am".  
"So your father must be well-known in the area… May I ask about his name?"  
"I'm sorry, but I'm sure you don't know him. I'm not originally from this area; I've moved here few weeks ago, so… you know… and actually my father isn't that famous… my whole family is quite… modest… All this luxury is not really my thing."  
"Hmmm, I see. Then, you must be distinctly brilliant to be approved in the Academy!"  
"Ummm…" you blush as you hear his words: "I'm not sure about that part."  
He chuckles: "And why is that?" He pauses a bit and continues: "Having any trouble dealing with your school mates?"

You immediately feel lost for words… He just figured out your major problem in school, no, in your life! He doesn't even know you… how could he see, only from the looks in your eyes, your delicate feelings, the same feelings that you tried so hard to make them known to people who knew you way longer than He did?!  
You don't answer, but instead you lower your head sorrowfully, looking down at your hands, pressing them into a fragile fist that keeps all your grief trapped inside, and trying the hardest you can not to explode with tears.

He didn't push you to reply his question. No… He leans closer to you, saying to you with a low and soft tone: "I'm sorry that Caelum City didn't receive you with its best aspect… first, these haughty arrogant students, and now that insolent street gang… I apologize for that… but,… but hey," he then puts his hand over yours; instead of pulling your hand out of his touch, you give it up and you feel your nerves are relaxing under the warmth of his skin. He continues: "Hey… things will get better, I promise… and someday they will acknowledge you, and they will know your truth… they will notice for sure how intelligent, nice, friendly and beautiful you-…" He couldn't complete his sentence before he lets go of your hand and slowly pulls back. You don't even believe what he just called you. 'Beau-tiful', this word flashes in your head. You then raise your head facing him, to find a comforting gentle smile on his handsome visage, with a trace of shyness manifested in a reddish tint on both his cheeks. The same color reflects on your own face, but somehow you enjoyed studying his coy warm features.

"We're here, sir", says Ignis. The car parks and you look from your window to see yourself in front of your apartment.

While thinking to yourself that until now you are still okay, you look to your right side where Noctis was, but you don't find him there. Then you hear the door on your side of the car is opening, and you see Noctis himself standing outside, holding the door for you to step out. You take his hand that he stretches for you as he leads you out of the car, until you finally arrive to the front of your house door. You slowly bow to him, thanking him for his help. While you are pulling your hand away from his in order to open the lock of the door, he refuses to let go. You look at him with confusion, as he bends quietly and kisses the bare skin of your hand. At this moment, you feel like you're heavily seeking for air, and your heart is pacing with totally indescribable emotions. 'Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before!', you whisper to yourself, 'what is this feeling?'. "Try not to get in trouble again… Take care." He says. You reply with a quiet "Thank you".

Now he releases your hand and bows again before he turns to join his friends in the car. But before he takes further steps away from you, you say to him: "_". He looks back at you with query in his eyes, so you repeat again: "My name is _... I'm sorry, I couldn't mention my name before, because… because you know…" He nods as you fail to express with words and says: "I understand. I don't blame you for being cautious. It was nice to meet you, Miss _. I will look forward to any coincidence that would join us together again." He leaves with these words, and gets back to the car. While you take your keys out to open your house door, you hear his voice again, speaking while stepping one foot in the car and the other on the ground, with his door half open, saying: "By the way _, I like your name!". He works a cute smile on his face before entering the car and slowly disappearing from your eyes as the car drove away.  
"Is he a Prince or something?" You whisper. "Good night… and… thank you… Noctis"…

*In the Royal Palace*

"Hey guys… Where have you been?" asked Gladiolus, a bulky guy with brown hair flowing down to his shoulder. "King Caelum was expecting your coming an hour ago! Can you just tell what took you so long? Emm… Sir?  
"I'm sorry, Gladiolus. I'll meet him right away". Noctis answers.  
"Well don't be so tense about it man…" says Prompto, with a sarcastic smile, "Prince Charming finally met THE GIRL".

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Stella Nox Fleuret

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.  
Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix

Part III: "Stella Nox Fleuret"

It was a sleepless night. The things that happened to you that day keep all your senses so agitated; the evil giggles of the screwed men are still echoing in your head and you try so hard to make them stop haunting you. The only thing that soothed you was the warm touch of that young gentleman: a tiny smile from him wiped all the bitter tears that were shed, and one sweet word from his mouth was enough to veil all the noisy storms that perturbed your hearing. His innocent touch kept your body warm enough to help you survive the chill of that night, but it was not enough to make you relax and fall asleep, for your heart was still burning up every time you think about him. 'Noctis'…

The next day, at school, you are sitting in the class, pretending to be paying attention to the professor, while your thoughts are still confused since the previous day. After the class is dismissed, girls from behind you start throwing paper balls against your back, trying to make you lose your patience and leave the classroom. But you didn't; instead, you try to stay calm and peacefully examine the pages of a book… that irritated them, so they stand in front of you, one of them satirically says: "So who do you think you are so you could sneak into this school? A Princess maybe, or… hey, hey," she kneels slowly with a mocking grin on her face, "… let's bow down to the excellence of Queen Victoria!" Then you hear the others chuckling while she stands straight and pounds the top of your desk with her hand, "look you," she says with a stern tone, "people like you are not welcomed here… only the deserving ones can enter from these doors… people like us; it's obvious that we are the most "precious" "gems" of the place, while you are… ummm, let's see… what to call you?..." Then you firmly stand up, a quiet look never leaves your face or voice, and you speak: "I am what? Say it." She smirks at you and answers: "A despicable junk!" That's it… you can't afford this anymore… "Please, can you leave me alone?… I… I don't understand what I've done to upset you… Why do you treat me this wa-…" you say, as she stops you: "All I want you to know is that none of us want to see you here. Now you better grab your dirty stuff and get the hell out of this pl-…"

"Girls… can you stop it please? Just leave her alone… would you?" a nice voice interrupts the babbling insult of the girls. A young lady stands at the classroom door, crossing her arms and waiting for the girls to do as she asked. One of the bully girls answers her: "Come on, Stella… we're having a private conversation here!", while another one walks away towards the door saying: "Come on girls, she's not even worth it". You watch them as they gradually retreat, walking out of the classroom, while the nice blonde girl is still standing at the door. She looks at you with a warm smile on her face, walks toward you and stands close to you, saying with even friendlier tone then before: "I'm really sorry for that… you know, not all the students here are that offensive. Did they hurt you, somehow?" You look at her, replying: "No, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern. I appreciate it gratefully." She says: "In fact, I think you look very nice… and I've heard how genius you are. This academy must be really lucky to have you as its student. It's a real pleasure to have you with us." She offers you her hand, "My name is Stella… Stella Nox Fleuret. What's yours?" You accept her handshake: "Mine is _. It's nice to meet you too, Miss Stella." "No, no…" she objects "call me Stella… JUST Stella." Her way of saying it reminds you of Noctis… you smile slightly after his figure has crossed your memory. "Your name is lovely, indeed!" Again, she shocks you by speaking these words. Was she there with you when you first met Noctis? She seems to be acting like him; so you wanted to address her with the same kindness: "Well, thank you. You are very nice, and pretty too." She helped you forget about the bullies, and succeeded in finally drawing a smile on your face. "Would you mind joining me in the Cafeteria? I would like to have some company." You couldn't refuse her offer, and you walk out of the classroom with her, to start a new bond of Friendship that was going to last.

Days pass, and your relationship with Stella developed from a mere superficial knowledge to be a stronger and more beautiful bond. Stella now is your first and best friend, not only in this school, but also the most trusted ever. Even though she came from a wealthy family, unlike you, but that didn't affect your friendship. On the contrary, that made your bind even stronger. She treated you not only as a friend, but also more like a sister. That worked good for both of you. She "protected" you from the bullies, while you helped her with her homework and study. Soon, many of the other students came to notice your intelligence, and they often ask for your help with their homework and stuff. They come to acknowledge you. You don't feel like out of place or lonely anymore… 'I think I'm starting to like this place', you finally admit. 'It's not bad… not bad at all… HE was right; things ARE going to get better… Noctis… Why can't I get you out of my head?'

One day, Stella comes to you jumping, with a wide smile on her face, while you are, as usual, burying your face in a book. "What's the matter?" you ask, looking at her sparkling eyes, wondering about the thing that is making her so excited. "I have a surprise! Guess what! I've got an invitation from the royal palace… A Royal invitation!… there's a ball to be held in the palace… this weekend!" You look back at your book, with boredom, not showing any equal interest in that event: "Yeah! Good for you", you tell her despite of the neutrality in your opinion, "Try to have fun." …"You know, I'm not gonna have all the fun going alone…" she continues, "I actually got TWO invitations… and guess who's going with me?" You roll your eyes and answer her: "I don't know… who? A new boyfriend of yours?" She laughs at that, and adds: "No, silly… YOU are!" You jump as you hear that: "WHAT?! No way am I going there. You must be joking!" She shows you the proof of having two invitations in her hand, saying: "No, I'm not. You ARE going. There's someone I'd like you to meet there… he's my friend… the Prince!"  
"Noooo!"

_To Be Continued…_


	4. Chapter 4: Dance With Me

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.  
Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix :)

Part IV: "Dance With Me"

"No way… Not going there!" You keep convincing yourself. You've never been into any dancing ball before… a "Royal" invitation?! By no means! Stella didn't save any effort trying to make you change your mind and join her. After several vain tries of her, your stubbornness surrenders to her non-stopping persistence, and you accept her offer. But, how to get ready for such occasion? You don't even have a suitable dress to wear; it's an aristocratic celebration, right? "No problem", Stella comforts you. "You can borrow one from my closet!"

She takes you to her home, leads you into her room and shows you her closet. And what a closet! It was a whole independent world of all sorts of garments… from dresses, to hats, scarfs, jewelry, accessories, shoes, etc… You shrug for the scene, and realize how small is Your world. "I can't do this… I'm sorry, I can't borrow your stuff", you apologize. "What about I make you? Please, _. I want you to come with me and let everybody there see how beautiful you are. If you won't do this for your own sake, do it for me, your best friend. Would you?" You just can't ignore her cute puppy face, so you forcibly nod with agreement.

You almost have a headache after going through only few of her belongings, wanting to give up. But Stella refused to surrender… "I'm gonna find the right one for you… just, be patient…"… Time passed hardly, and minutes seemed like hours… you wanted something simple, but you felt like everything was a bit too much for you…  
"How 'bout this one? What do you think?" You fall for the beauty and elegance of the gown she displays for you. "I think I'd say yes for this one", you sigh with relief.

*Saturday evening*  
*In the Hall, inside the Royal Palace*

"Thank you for your attendance, ladies and gentlemen. My wife the Queen and I are highly delighted to see you gathered here today. Please, enjoy your evening." King Caelum descends from the podium, while the echoes of clapping fill the whole place. Everybody seems to be enjoying his time, except for one man that is standing in some corner of the hall, leaning against the wall with boredom in the frame of his handsome face.  
"Son, why are you standing here, alone? Go, meet new friends and enjoy your time. It's not quite good for you to stand here like some statue; especially for a prince like y-…"  
"Mother, please… you know how I feel about these ceremonials, I don't even want to be in a place like this… it's borin-…"  
"Just try… please. Okay?"

Noctis forcibly nods for the queen, escaping a boredom sigh, and follows her to join his father who was talking to some of his wealthy acquaintances. The prince was searching in his head for a reason to sneak out of the place.

You and Stella are inside her Limo, heading for the royal castle, while you uncomfortably look at her with a blush on your rosy cheeks. "Don't you think this is a little bit too much?" you ask.

"How many times will you keep asking me this ridiculous question? _, you look so lovely with this dress. Everybody will have their eyes on you, and you'll steal all the spotlights… you'll see." She answers.

"Well, thanks…" you say ironically, "you made me feel much better… more… confident."  
"You better be so, _. It's time for you to show the PRINCESS inside you." She displays a warm smile on her face, but you still feel nervous about the ball.

"There it is… Behold, the Royal palace!" her words made your heart throb madly, so you hold your breath and try not to show any of your strained emotions. When the car parked at the entrance of the great gate, you get out of the limo and start walking alongside Stella. The two of you go up the black granite staircases and walk to the front of the big entrance. You examine the two high statues that hold the ornamented ceiling. Each statue has the form of a human body, apparently one of a lady, and the flexure of her long basaltic robe seems very realistic. The crown of each statue has a shape of a human face with a veil on the head, and some mysterious black tears coming down its stone skin. That view is breathtaking… you can't even take your eyes off the stunning personification of the two "Guardians" of the castle's gate, when Stella catches your attention back to her: "You're coming or what? Come on before we miss the party!"

You go through the doorway, where you find a guard who greets you and leads you to the hall where the ball was held. You start to hear the nice music even before you enter to the hall.

The moment you came through the hall's door, people start looking at you with astonished looks. You feel uncomfortable while their eyes are following your tremulous steps. You hear some men whispering to each other: "Hey, who's this young lady? Have you seen her before?" -She's so cute!"…

You are wearing a strapless Quinceañera gown, tight from the top displaying the beautiful shape of your skinny waist, with a wider light pink drapes flow from your hip down to your heals, covered with a sheer iridescent light lavender colored overlay on the top. Your view is a delightful thing for everybody to look at. You try to avoid their looks, so you keep looking downward.

Not so far from you stands a group of three men: Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis. They were chatting when Ignis notices you coming in, so he says: "Is that her?" Prompto asks: "Who?" He looks around and spots you from between all the attendants. "Oh my! That's her alright. What is she doing here?" Gladiolus rubs the back of his head with a quizzical mark on his face: "Ok, I'm officially lost here. What are we talking about again?" "That girl…" Prompto answers, "That's the same girl we saved few months ago." "Still don't get it." Gladiolus says. "Noctis's girl, man… Noctis's girl." Prompto says it with a grin. "Okay! Well, she is… something! Wow… I mean, no wonder why Noctis has fallen for her." Gladiolus smile widely. "We have to inform Noctis about it." says Ignis. He proceeds through the crowded dance floor, trying to get to where Noctis is. But Stella was the first to spot the prince amidst the crowd.

"Your excellency", she says while approaching Noctis. He turns around and finds her standing behind him: "Lady Stella, nice to see you here."  
"Nice to see you too, Noctis. How have you been?" She asks him.  
"Umm, not too bad. Bored." He replies.

You look for Stella who is now lost from your sight, and you still can't escape the eyes that were gazing at you. Finally, you spot her talking to some guy. You try to get to where she stands.

"Noctis, you still can't live like a prince should. You have to get used to it. Oh my, silly me! I almost forgot! I want you to meet someone." She looks from above his shoulder and waves to you asking you to join her. Noctis turns around and finds you walking towards them. His eyes widen with surprise. "Oh no!", he says with a barely heard tone.  
Stella continues: "I want you to meet my best frien-"  
"_", is all he could say.  
"Noctis", you look at him, surprised. 'He still remembers my name!' you think to yourself.  
"You guys know each other?" Stella exclaims, turning back at you… "Since when do you know Prince Noctis?"  
"Prince?!" you look at Stella with shocked eyes, then back to him. 'A prince?!' you ask yourself not believing what your friend has said.

He was so embarrassed; he doesn't even want to look in your eyes, for he didn't tell you the truth before. But then he starts to feel his face getting warmer, so he wipes that away and takes closer steps towards you. Then, he takes your quivering hand carefully, slowly bows down and kisses it. You then remember the first time he did the same when you first met. His kiss is so warm and gentle. He looks up at you and smiles widely: "Good to see you again, Miss _. When I spoke about a "coincidence", I didn't expect it to happen this way. I think we are meant to meet again. So, is Stella the little "coincidence" after all?"  
"Nice to meet you again… too… Your Excellency." You answer.

Your word makes the smile on his face disappear. Before, he didn't want you to call him 'mister' or 'sir'… now 'excellency'? You didn't forget what he asked you to do, to call him only by his name; but you realize now that calling a prince with using only his name without extra titles won't be proper. But that made him so sad; he wanted you to treat him for his inner person, not taking in consideration what fate wanted him to be.  
"Noctis, come for a moment." The king calls his son to join him.  
"I have to go. My father is calling me." Noctis says. "I will join you later. Enjoy your evening." He leaves you and walks away.

"So, tell me… how did you two meet?" Stella asks with a shrewd wink.  
A gentleman cut her off asking her for a dance. She agrees. "We'll talk later, _. Sooner or later, you're gonna tell me your little secret. Ok?"

You watch the dancers enjoying their time, while others stand in groups drinking champagne or busy having random conversations. For your surprise, many gentlemen approached you, asking you to share a dance with them. But you, in each time, refused respectfully saying that you don't know how to dance, using this as an excuse.

You silently stand at a corner, scanning the features of the place with your eyes; from the attendants, to the garnished walls, the nicely decorated board full with a grand diversity of food, the nice garments and dresses of all the prosperous ladies present in the hall. Everything was set just perfectly, except for you, you think. 'Why did I even accept to come here? Why did I meet Noctis… Prince Noctis… in the first place? Why him, amongst all people?

You look around, still studying the traits of everything around you, when your eyes suddenly meet Noctis's. From afar, he was watching you. You blush and look the other way, unwilling to face his stare. But you can't ignore the strong affection inside you, so you can't help but look back at him to find that he is still staring at you. His eyes never left you; he, for some reason, didn't want to look away. He leaves his parents who are busy with their conversation and walks towards you. You feel your heart beating harder with every step he takes. Soon, he was right in front of you. You shyly look up at him; you are hardly breathing for the pressure on your chest was too heavy for you to bear. He extends his hand and asks you an unexpected favor: "Dance with me." His way of saying it surprised you; He usually speaks with a formal way, but this time, it sounded more like an order… a friendly one. You can't do anything but accept his offer. You take his hand and he leads you to the middle of the dance floor.

He holds your right hand with his palm, while he moves his other to touch your lower back. His touch is so sensitive that makes you give in to it. The two of you are dancing, forgetting all your surroundings, living in your own private world. Feelings of happiness encircle you two, making you want to tell each other words that cannot be said. He looks at you, sparkles of joy in his charming blue eyes, observing your face with every detail. He can see a mixture of pure bliss and innocent timidity in your look. Even though he liked the red shades on your cheeks, he wanted to soothe you.  
"Do you hate me?" he asks you.  
"Hate you? Why would I do that?" you say.  
"Because I didn't tell you the truth about my identity" he explains.  
You look down for a moment and then back at him saying faintly: "I'm not in right position to hate you, or judge you. Lord Noctis, you know you have the supreme right to do whatever you want, whatever you wish for, sir. But I would like to know why, if you don't mind, sir. Why didn't you tell me?"  
"This is exactly why I didn't." he answers, and you look at him with confusion. "I knew that telling you will make you treat me like a prince…"  
"But you ARE a prince… that's what you deserve, sir." You say.  
"See… you're doing it again. I told you precisely not to address me with 'sir' or 'mister'. You did exactly what I told you not to do… Instead, you come with 'your excellency' and 'Lord Noctis' and whatever… I don't need that solemn attitude. All I asked for is… JUST…" he pauses waiting for you to complete his thought.  
"Noctis." You say with a lower voice than before.  
"Isn't it easier for you to say it that way?" he smiles at you, forcing you to smile back.  
"By the way, _, you look beautiful tonight." You look away trying to resist his sweet talk. "You're always beautiful. But tonight, you… you're… you're wonderful… unique." He starts blushing again. "With this dress, you look more like a lovely flower… a rare one."  
You try to stop his compliment. "Actually, I borrowed this dress from Stella. It's not mine."  
But it didn't matter with him, so he continues: "But the beauty is all yours. You are pretty, no matter what you wear or change about yourself; you'll always look charmin-… good."

His words are sweet as always… Even when he stutters, he makes you forget the chasm between you and him.

He then holds your right hand and puts it over the left side of his chest. You can feel his heartbeats overlap yours, knocking against your skin with all excitement. He asks you: "Do you trust me?"

You smile warmly and nod. Then all of a sudden he pushes your hands off his body, spins you around, catches your skinny waist and leans against your body. Now your body is almost parallel to the ground, as Noctis holds your back with one hand while his other supports the back of your neck. His face is couple of inches away from yours. A short gasp escapes your lips, while he looks at his reflection in your eyes and says: "Thank you for dancing with me, _."

_To Be Continued… _:)


	5. Chapter 5: Friends?

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix :)

Part V : "Friends?"

The music stops playing, and your harmonious movements pause with it. You're only few inches away from the ground, while the hands of the prince are gently holding your body. You remained on this situation for few moments, his body leaning closely over you, and his face is almost touching yours. He takes you up slowly and stands up straight again, pulling your head closer to his chest. You thought you were dreaming, but you didn't want to wake up for the feeling of it was so true and soulful…

But the noise of clapping in the background awakes you two from what you thought was a dream. You both look around and find all the attendants looking at you and smiles appear on their faces; it's like they've already seen a pleasant show. You try to escape their looks, but they seem to be amazed by the dance. Nobody has seen Prince Noctis dancing with a girl so enthusiastically. He did dance before actually, but this time he danced like he meant it. He in fact seemed to enjoy dancing with you. The queen was overjoyed, surprised for seeing her own son actually dancing, and for noticing the relaxed expressions on his face.

"Can I have a word with you… Alone?" He asks you, red streak arises on his cheeks. "Sure", you reply, with your voice a bit shaking.

He takes you out of the crowded hall, to the wide balcony that overviews a breathtaking scene of the luminous city. You gasp for the view of the place.

"You like it?" He asks.

"I love it! It's magical… I never thought that someday I could see the city from here… Thank you." You say.

"No problem. So… tell me more about you… about _." He says, his eyes never leave you.

"Umm, me? I like… I am-…" you struggle with your words, then you smile and proceed to say: "I like to be… myself… that's it."

He looks at you, a bit surprised, remembering the way he introduced himself before, so he displays a grin on his lips. "Okay, that's good to know." He leans forward on the stone balustrade, gazing deeply in the tiny sparkles that are swimming in the endless black horizon. He sighs lightly and asks you: "So… tell me. Do you like these… balls and stuff?"

You look at him, confounded not knowing what to answer… if you say 'no', which is the truth, he might get upset. "Um… I… I don't know… emm…-"

" 'Cause I don't." He seems to be answering his own question; he turns around and looks back at you: "I never did… I always hated to attend dancing parties and celebrations… but, you know, I… I have to. Like my father always says, I have to make my own connections and learn to be responsible having my own dealings. But I have no idea how these damn "parties" can help me be responsible."

You chuckle softly and ask him: "So you don't like to dance at all?"

He waves a 'no' with his hand, "No… at all. I'd always run away."

"So why did you ask me to dance with you?"

His face turns wildly red, so he looks around as if he was searching for a convincing answer. "Um… it's… it's… okay… it's because you're different. I feel I don't have to pretend to be someone else when I'm with you… it's because I know that you don't care about appearances; what you care about is one's inner person, right?"

"Noctis, you barely know me. This is the second time we meet, so there are still lots of stuff to learn about each other. How can you tell how I feel or what I think? You can't know me unless you learn about me. It's true, I'm… I'm different… but not better than the other ladies that you might meet in your li-…"

"_, I don't need other ladies. I need y-… Look, I know we don't know much about each other, but I feel like I've met you from a long time. I don't even know how I felt when I saw the gang trying to violate you… I… I'm sorry I'm bringing that up… but you're truly not aware of how hard it was for me to let that happen to you. I wouldn't forgive myself…" his voice starts shivering. "I wouldn't let anyone steal your purity … you're the purest girl I've ever met… I saved you… that's true, but… I now believe that God has sent you to be My savior. You're the only one who can save me from the hideous person I might become. You can help me be myself. I know it might be hard on you to do that, but I promise I will not forsake you. I want to know you better, because I know the more we talk the more wonderful things I will discover about you. _, you have beautiful and rare gems kept deep inside you, so it's time to let them glow. Allow me to be the person to first see your glory."

He takes your hand in his two palms, pleading you: "I don't want to be a prince in your eyes… Can we be more like…" you just stand there, waiting for his words to be spoken… but something in you is trembling insanely…

"More like… friends?' he finally speaks. Your body suddenly calms down, you look into his eyes that are longing for your reply, and answer his question with another: "Are you sure you want to be my friend? I mean… are you serious?!"

He lifts one eyebrow and inclines his head to the side: "Do you think it's too much for me to be your friend?!" You laugh and punch him lightly on his shoulder: "No it's not… sure, friends."

Time passes by, but you don't feel it as you two were busy talking with each other about random stuff. You both never spoke that much before, maybe because you didn't want to speak to anyone about your feelings, but you enjoyed this conversation… you found a lot in common. It's been two hours now, and you are still chatting, sometimes laughing about some stupid ideas, until a voice regained your attention.

"Noctis sir, I'm sorry for interrupting. His Highness wants you to be present with him… some officials are ready to leave the ball."

"Ok, Ignis. I'll be right there."

"Yes sir." Ignis turns to go inside when Noctis calls him.

"Ignis… Do you have a piece of paper and a pen on you? Please."

"Yes, sir."

Then Noctis takes the paper and pen, and hand them to you.

"What are these for?" you ask.

"I believe that one of the first steps to be a friend is to have your friend's phone number, right? So it's not a big deal to ask for yours, only if you still don't trust me." A grin appears on his cute face.

"You're unbelievable." You chuckle, take the paper and write your name and number on it. "Of course, I trust you. Here's my phone number. Satisfied?"

"Definitely!" He writes his number as well and gives it to you. "Call me, whenever you need to. Even when you don't feel like talking to this crazy guy, just do it. This crazy guy here might need to hear your voice sometimes… who knows." He takes your hand and kisses it. He's done it before, but still, it gives you a vague chill in your veins.

"See you soon… Noctis."

"Yeah, see you…" He waves with his hand while he walks away towards the door of the balcony, "…really soon."

You gaze at your hand where the kiss was planted, and you smirk to yourself: "Friends? With a prince? Hhe, how crazy is that?"

*In Stella's Limo*

*Driving back home*

"So… _." Stella leans towards you, resting her chin on her hand, and elbow on the car's seat. "Tell me… what's between you and Noct?"

"Wha… What?! Me and… the prince… you must be crazy. What could it be? Nothing… nothing at all."

"But when you two were dancing, I felt that SOMETHING was happening betwee-…"

"Nothing, Stella… really nothing. Please, don't make me regret coming with you."

"You know, _." Stella states: "I always knew Noctis. We were still kids when we first met. We became close friends since then. Even his three companions, Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus… we all grew up together, and we spent most of the time being with each other. We used to play, and, you know, they all fought for me, since I was the only cute girl in the group… hehe, just kidding… but, however, we always strove to push Noctis to play and do different stuff with us… Not because he didn't like being with us, but I believe he's always been timid; he never changed. But he's a nice person, lonely sometimes, but friendly. And, as you can see, he's quite a handsome guy… all the girls approached him and tried to go out on dates with him… but he always refused. Tell you a secret? Even I have tried to date him once…" You look at her, shaking your head. She continues: "What?! He's cute, okay? But, I realized how different we are. First, I always thought about him as a friend, more like a brother… and I actually don't like to have an extremely shy person as my boyfriend. I know, Noctis is brave and strong, and he would do anything to defend his loved ones… but, he's very, very shy. He knew me since, ever, but he still finds it hard to be himself, even with me, his closest friend."

You interrupt her and ask: "O-kay… so, why are you talking about him again?"

She starts to lose her temper: "Don't you see the point of it?! Noctis never felt comfortable being with anyone… but he did with you! He… he enjoyed spending time with you… the way he danced with you, I never saw that before. Maybe because you are more like him… you're always shy and timid, just like he is."

"Still, what's the point behind your analysis?" you ironically say.

"I think, just guessing, okay? I think that… maybe… he likes you."

You're shocked for her statement, but you try to hide that by chuckling: "Yeah, right… Nice one, Stella… Prince Noctis likes me… that's just… crazy."

She gazes at you, widens her beautiful purple eyes, and asks you with a small grin on the tip of her lips: "You like him?"

Her question hits your nerves. You look at her, wanting to say 'no', but your mouth refused to reverse the truth. So you don't say a word, but your whole body, from head to toe, is quivering with unknown feelings.

"haha… I can't believe it… so you DO like him!" She shouts.

"No, no… I don't… how would I like a prince? I mean anybody would fall in love with a prince, but… not me… He's a prince, and I am… forget it… I don't want to talk about this." You say, and turn your sight to the window trying to wipe these thoughts away from your mind while watching the dark silhouettes passing by on the street.

"Okay, I won't talk about it, for now. But I won't let it go. You will tell me the truth, sooner or later, you will." She smiles at you and you roll your eyes with annoyance.

*Noctis's Part*

Noctis is lying on his bed, after he took his tie off and half of his shirt's buttons were undone, trying to recall every moment he spent with you, when his mother, the queen, knocks the door and comes in.

"Noctis, honey. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yes, mother… sure." He replies, sitting straight now.

She walks in and takes a seat beside him. "I saw what happened today. Can you tell me who that girl was?"

He looks at her with a fake "I don't care" look and says: "Oh, the girl. She's, some girl that I know, not long ago. I didn't invite her; she actually came along with Stella. She must be her friend or something. I don't know."

The mother looks at the cool-acting young man: "Noctis, you are my son. I know you better than anyone else. I know when you are telling the truth, and I can tell that now you are definitely lying. I noticed how excited you were when you danced with her, as well as the way you were blushing. I always pushed you to meet new people, but today you didn't need a push. You walked to her yourself. Did you tell her anything when you both went out to the balcony?"

"Mom!" He was blushing even deeper after every word his mother spoke. "What are you talking about? There's nothing between me and… Please, mom. I really don't want to talk about it."

"Son, you know I care for you. It's not that I'm condemning you for dancing with her… no! I probably was the happiest person to see you two enjoying your moment. All I wanted to say is, if you like that girl… If you REALLY like her, I support you with all my heart. And I know that you are wise and you know how to make good decisions, especially about choosing your other half in life and marriage…"

"Mom! marriage?! It's still too soon for that. I'm not ready yet." He says while his face is still red like a tomato.

"Okay. I understand. But I'm telling you… I never knew that you have such good taste in girls… she is very beautiful, and everybody was talking about her tonight… so you better hurry up before someone else comes and steals her from you. Okay? I love you, my dear."

She kisses her son's head while he acts annoyed because of what she was telling him. She was about to walk out of the room when Noctis calls her: "Mom… thanks." He smiles warmly. "I love you too."

After he is finally alone in his room, he falls back on his bed, sighs deeply and whispers: "I love you too, _." He closes his blue eyes and falls asleep, with an unusual smile on his lips.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6: A Special Gift

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix :)

Part 6: "A Special Gift"

That evening you spent with Noctis made you feel more comfortable being close to him. You want to know more about him… you know that beneath all that timidity and isolation, there is a strong and confident person, a loyal friend that would do anything to help you… but the way he touched you, the way he spoke with you, the way you blushed whenever he drew close to you… 'Is this what they call friendship?' you think. 'Then, why does my heart tremble and I lose my words every time I see him…' Your mind was convincing you that Noctis is just a friend, but your heart was saying the opposite.

Every time you try to call him, you hesitate… your ears long to hear his voice, but in each time your mind creates an excuse. However, that didn't stop your feelings from growing deeper and deeper every day. But you wanted to ignore these sweet emotions, believing that they are nothing but a mist, a mirage.

The season of the exam is here, and you are spending now most of your time studying; or maybe, you took that as an excuse to forget about Noctis. That made you miss him, badly, until the point when even your veins started hurting and fire began to burn in your chest. He tried to call you many times, but in every time you apologized and preferred to stay home and finish studying.

During the days of the exam, you try your best to focus on your test. And so you did. You were ready for all the questions, no matter how hard they were. You never liked exams, but you always studied hard and did your best… for you, this is what Success really means…

At 11 am, on the third and last day of the exam, you walk out of the classroom with a smile of relief on your face. 'Finally, exam is over.'

"Hey, _." You find Stella waiting for you. "So… How did you do with your test? Look whom I'm asking… the "nerdy" girl!" She grins at you.

"Hi Stella… how did you do?"

"Emmm… not bad. Just kidding… I did very well. I know that the exam results are not out yet, but how about we celebrate? What do you think? Stella asks.

"I don't know… Stella… I…" you say, your steps slowing down.

"_... are you okay?" She looks at you with concern.

"Yeah… I'm perfectly… fine."

You slowly lean against the wall beside you, and a severe headache blurs your vision. You try to hold on, but you feel like everything is spinning around. Suddenly, you lose control and you fall down the floor. Stella shouts and she hurries towards you, trying to wake you up.

"_. Wake up! Do you hear me? _?!" She cries and asks for help from the other students, but her voice you are not able to hear. All your senses are completely numb.

The heavy rain outside the window whispers into your ears. You slightly open your eyes. You feel your head is so heavy that you can barely lift it up. It was dark, but your environment is quite familiar. You force your eyes to open wider, so you find yourself in your room, lying in your own bed. You try to sit straight. 'Was that a dream?' you ask yourself in a low voice. The dim light from the street hits part of the room's wall. The tip of your tired eyes caught a glimpse of a person lying beside your bed. You slowly turn to look at him, and you gaze deeply into the darkness of the room to find Noctis sitting on the floor, resting his back against the wall, and his head is bending down; he seems to be falling in a deep sleep. You can't believe your eyes; the prince himself sitting down in your room… 'How did he get here?' you think.

"Noctis… Noct… Wake up…". He slowly lifts his head up, and looks at you. He opens his eyes wide, gets up and rushes toward you. He sits on your bed, and puts his hand on your forehead. "How are you feeling now? Any better?" he asks with concern.

"I'm… I'm fine. My head hurts a bit. Can you turn the lights on, please?"

When he switched the lights on, you cover your eyes with you hand, for they were still used to the dark ambiance of the room, and you try to look at Noctis who comes back and sits in front of you.

"Noctis…What are you doing here? I mean… what happened?" You say.

"You… you fainted, at school."

You bring your hand down trying to recall what happened. "I did?... I don't remember a thing."

"Don't worry. They took you to the infirmary right away. The doctor said you were just exhausted… that's all. You must have been pushing yourself too hard for the exam. Haven't you?"

"Um, a little, maybe." A faint smile shows on your lips.

"Don't scare me like this agai-… um… well… emmm… S-Stella was very worried about you. She didn't know what to do. So she called me to come and check on you. I was so sca-… um… we didn't want you to stay in the infirmary, so we thought about bringing you here. Stella stayed for a while, but she had… to go. But I didn't want to leave you alone… sick… so I… I wanted to… to be sure you're doing better. Yeah." His face was blushing even more with every word he was saying.

"So… I was sleeping, all this time? Did you stay here all day? Alone? With me?" your face is now getting even darker than his.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I was just trying to… to make sure you're okay…I…"

"Noctis…" he looks at you, apology in his eyes. "Noctis… why did you do this?" you say.

He looks away, terribly embarrassed. You then continue: "How could you… [You sigh]… How could you sleep on the floor, while I'm lying here on a comfortable bed?"

He stares at you, speechless. You smile widely and say: "Thank you for caring for me. You're the best friend ever." You fold your arms around his neck, and hug him tight. He was shocked at first, but he didn't hesitate to reply to your hug, so he embraces you close to his body, and whispers: "You scared me again, _."

You chuckle and say: "I'm sorry, Noct. But you have made my life much easier than before. I don't have the perfect words to explain my gratitude to you. I… I…" You wanted to tell him the words you always wanted to say, but you just can't. 'He thinks of me only as a friend, nothing more… How could I ever change that?' you think to yourself. Then you continue speaking to him, grabbing his shirt even tighter: "Noctis… don't let go of me."

He lets his hand fall down to your lower back, pulling you even closer to him, and he says to you with a warmer voice than ever: "I will never leave you alone… No matter what happens, I'm always by your side." You close your eyes, hoping that the hug would last.

"_, I want to tell you something." He releases you from his embrace, and looks into your eyes. "I always wanted to tell you this… but I was afraid. I want you to listen to me really closely. _, I…" He takes a deep breath and proceeds to speak, when he suddenly stops and looks away. "I'm sorry, _. I have to go."

He gets ready to stand up and go away, when you grab his hand. "Noctis. What's wrong? What did you want to tell me?" you ask him.

"No, no _. It's nothing really. Forget it." He walks away. When he was about to walk out of the room, you get up from your bed, run toward him and take his hand. He turns to you: "_, you shouldn't leave your bed. You haven't recovered yet."

"Noctis…" you say, "why don't you trust me the way trusted you? Believe me, I'm ready to do all I can to help you. If you have a problem, I would be happy to stand by you. I want to help you… Please." However, your body is still too weak to stand up, so you lose your balance. But Noctis holds you and helps you to sit back on the bed.

"_." He starts. "I don't want you to worry about me. I'm fine." But his answer didn't satisfy you, so you tell him: "Then what did you want to say?"

He sits beside you, and looks at you with his wonderful blue eyes. He inhales deeply: "Okay, _. Look, you might think I'm crazy, but what I'm going to say is true. I never told this to anyone before. But I believe that you… Alright, here it goes. Look, I… I have… I have a gift. A special one; it's a gift that no one else has. God granted me this gift even though I don't really deserve it… I know, it sounds insane, but without that gift… I can't live. It… it gives me power beyond possible… it gives me the strength to face the whole world… It's a wonderful grant that nobody deserves… Not even me… It's so special that many will try to steal it away from me, but I'll do whatever it takes to protect it. I'm not selfish, but I really need it to be mine. Can you understand me, _? Do you know what I'm talking about?"

You look at him with confusion: "I… I don't know Noctis. I'm not sure… do you mean the last Crystal, your family's Legacy?"

He stares at you: "Wha-..? Crystal? No, no. It's… it's true that the Crystal is precious to me, to all of us… but it's not what I'm talking about. _, the most precious gift to me is… is way more than just a dead crystal. It's… it's… IT'S YOU."

Your face turns wildly red after hearing his words. He leans over you, puts his hand behind your neck and kisses you passionately. His kiss is so delicate, and his lips are so thirsty for you. You wanted to pull away, but his grip is inevitable. It is tight and tender at the same time. His warm breath blows into your mouth, which makes you gasp deeply. He bends even more towards you, resting your back on the mattress, so now his body is on top of yours, and he keeps kissing you with all passion.

Your kiss lasted long, that both of you lacked air to breath. He pulls only few inches away from you, looking straight into your eyes, and whispers softly: "You are my most precious Crystal… I love you, _."

To Be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7: My Princess

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix :)

Part 7: "My Princess"

The rain outside the room is pouring even heavier, and the intense drops of water are knocking on the window. But you couldn't hear this continuous noise, as your senses were totally paralyzed. All you can hear now is your own heartbeats. You're putting your hand on his chest, holding your breath. Your body trembles and you feel like heat escapes your skin. You don't know which is warmer: your body or his kiss. His hand is placed behind your neck, while strands of your hair are tangling between his fingers. The other hand caresses the soft skin of your cheek. His lips slowly leave yours, but his face is still so close to yours that you can feel his warm breath on your skin. "I love you, _."

You just can't believe what happened. You can't even respond, not with a move nor a word. Your eyes, fixing straight at him, are now filled with a thick layer of tears. You always tried to hide your emotions from others, but this time you just can't. Your tears fall down, and you close your eyes and say to him with a shivering low voice: "Stay away." Noctis notices the shiny drops of water running down from your eyes, so he tries to wipe them away. But you turn your head to the side and shout: "Stay away from me!" The tremor in your voice shocks him; he pulls away and stands right in front of you: "_... I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do this. I just wanted to tell you my true feelings toward you… I didn't want to hurt you. I just… I just couldn't control myself. But I mean it, _... I really love you… I always did… please forgive me."

You sit straight and stand up, trying to control yourself: "Noctis… please… leave me alone. Just go, and I will forgive you." He shakes his head, takes your hand and says: "No, _... no… I can't just go. I told you that I love you. I'll do anything to make you love me back-…". You then push his hand away and yell at him: "Get out of here… I don't want to see you again. GET OUT!"

He stands there speechless, hearing the anger in your response. He wanted to wash the panic away from you, but he realizes that it will make things even worse. So he bites his lip with regret, looks down to the floor and says with a sad voice: "I'm sorry, _. I… I…" He quickly turns around and runs out of your house. He didn't want to run away, but he just couldn't face your tears. The streets were empty, nothing there but the leafless trees, the pouring rain and a broken hearted prince. He got tired from running, so he stops and looks up to the dark sky, closing his eyes while drops of rain are hitting his face. "Rain… please, tell her this… maybe she would listen to you… I love her… I really do."

You try to retrieve your breath, still standing there, next to the bed. You raise your hand and brush your lips with the tip your fingers… "He kissed me!" you whisper. "Why me?" Your tears never stop falling down your cheeks. You unleash a bitter cry from your throat and you fall down on your knees, resting your head on the side of the bed. "Noctis… come back." Now it's undeniable, your true feelings toward him. You loved him; more than anything else, you loved him. Your tears are blurring your thoughts: "What did I do? Why did I let him go?"

You realize that you had just kicked him out of your house. You stand up, walk toward the entrance and rest your head on the door. You take a deep breath before you open the door and run after Noctis. You didn't put anything on you to prevent the cold rain from hitting your body…

You run down the street, looking for Noctis in the dark. Your eyes catch a silhouette of a person standing at the end of the street. You slow down, and quietly walk closer to him. Noctis is standing there, not moving, gazing somewhere in the crying sky.

"Noctis… Noctis, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kick you out of my home. I didn't even have the right to do that. Please, forgive me. But you were too close to me that you made me almost forget who you are. You always tried to help me treat you as a friend, but I…"

"I broke that friendship." He interrupts you. He looks back down toward his feet, unwilling to face you. "I broke our friendship with my stupidity and selfishness. I had you, as the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me… but now… now I lost you. It's all my fault. I know I'm the worst friend ever… maybe because I never knew how to be a good one." He turns to you, but still not looking straight at you. "I know I hurt you… really bad. And I know that there's nothing that could change that. I never thought that I would love you so much, love you enough to hurt your feelings…"

"Noctis…" you ask, "Why did you kiss me?"

"_. I've already told you… I love you… that's why. I know it's meaningless now, since I've caused you pain, all because of my foolishness. But I just can't stop loving you. Since the very first day that we met, you became… you became my everything. I couldn't stop thinking about you… not even for a day. And, that day when you came to the ball… I felt a strong will to tell you… how beautiful you were. I wished that evening could last forever… I wanted YOU to stay with me forever. But I think that that would never happen… no matter how much I wanted it, it's impossible now. I know you came to apologize only because I'm… a prince… but you are still disappointed in me. I'm supposed to protect you, not harm you. _, I'll go, far away from you. But I want you to do me a favor, please. You can do anything you want with me… you can hit me, punch me, spit on me… yell at me… kill me… anything… but please… please… don't hate me. If you hate me… I will die. If the whole world hates me, I wouldn't care, as long as you love m… as long as you don't hate me, everything will be okay. I promise, _... I will never hurt you again. I will stay out of your life, and I will never try to get close to you. You won't see my face again. But you won't be alone, because I know that you'll find the one who deserves you more than I do; someone who will protect you, not hurt you the way I did. I'll let you go now, but there's one last thing I want you to know… I will always… and forever, love you."

He stretches his hand out toward you, waiting for you to shake it goodbye. You walk slowly closer to him and you grab his arm, pushing it down to his side. You raise your hand up, ready to smack him in the face. He looks downward, a sorrowful look on his face, and he closes his eyes waiting for the slap.

You slowly move your hand and catch the back of his head, while your other rests on his shoulder. You press your lips against his, kissing him so passionately. He opens his eyes, shocked by your reaction. He was expecting a smack from you… but, a kiss? He stands there, wanting to hold you tight with his arms, but he couldn't move a muscle: he thought this is a mere dream. But it's not. Your lips are softly brushing his, while you're trying to save some breath to make the kiss last longer. The heavy rain falls down on the two of you, but it was not enough to cool down the heat of your bodies. You pull away and say to him: "You don't have to apologize for loving me." You turn around to walk away, but Noctis grabs your waist and spins you back to face him. Your face is only few inches away from his, and he asks you: "_. Tell me the truth. How do you feel about me? Please… I need the truth."

You look into his eyes to see a sincere love glowing through them. You answer him: "Noctis… look… I… [You sigh]… I don't love you."

Your answer was a strong stab in his heart; he looks away, wanting to hide his tears, trying to make them look like rain drops. His hands start to slowly release the grip. You reach his chin with your fingers, and turn his head to face you again. You continue: "I don't love you, Noct. I adore you."

You walk few steps backward and then turn and run back to your home. Noctis stands in his place, not knowing whether to follow you or let you just go. His eyes are following you while you're running away. He draws a faint smile on his face, and looks up to the sky, whispering: "She loves me." Then he releases a loud shout from his heart: "She loves me, rain." He then starts running behind you, calling: "_... Wait… _." He speeds up until he reaches you, grabs your arm and pulls you very close to his body.

"You just can't stop scaring me. Right?" He says.

You bury your face in his chest, seeking the warmth of his body and breathing the smell of his wet shirt. "If you love me, then why are you running away?" He asks.

"Noctis… it's hard. It's not easy as you think it is. We can't be together."

"Why? You're still upset because of what I did. Aren't you? Is that why?"

"No, no." you answer, while your tears are mixing with the raindrops. "It's not that. In fact, I always wanted you to kiss me. I've always loved you, even when I acted like I don't. You helped me appreciate my life… I am not upset because you kissed me… I was upset about… myself. I didn't expect you to love me… to… to choose me. No, Noctis… it can't be me."

You try to walk away, but he catches you with his strong arms. "Look at me, _. Look at me. Why not you? It's hard to find a girl like you… no, no… it's impossible. I love everything about you… everything… your hair, your eyes, your skin, your lips, your touch, your smile, your kiss… You are amazing in every way… what could ever separate us?"

"Noctis… you… you are… a prince. I am nothing but a…"

"A princess", he says, "you are my princess."

"No, I can't be yours, Noctis. It's too hard for me."

"No it's not… all you have to do, is love me."

You look at his smiling face, so you smile back. "I already do", you say.

His smile gets even wider, so he holds you with his arms and kisses you on your head: "Hey, _. By the way, I was so nervous to tell you. But my mother knew about you, and she's the one who pushed me to make the first step and talk to you."

Your eyes widen and you look back at him. "What!? The queen?! Oh no! I can't do this. And what about the King? He won't accept me… there's no way…"

"Relax, _." He grabs your head with both his hands, while his thumbs are caressing your rosy cheeks. "My mom seems to like you; and my father is very nice. Once they get to know you, they will love you. But not as much as I do, you know."

"I don't know, Noct… I…" He moves his thumb over your lips and says: "Shh… don't worry… trust me, _."

You can't ignore his touch, so you hug him tight and say to him: "I love you, my Prince."

*In your house*

"I'm sorry, Noct." You say to him with a cute smile on your face. "You're all wet… all because of me."

"Naah… that's okay… it was fun." He replies with a grin.

"Here you go." You hand him a towel. "Dry yourself off. I don't want you to get sick."

He takes the towel and start undoing the buttons of his wet shirt. You notice the transparent drops on his neck running down his chest. You blush and walk away into your room, closing the door behind you. 'He's so cute… HOT…' you think to yourself. You dry yourself and put your pajama on. You walk back to the living room to find Noctis standing there, his back facing you, topless. You try to look away, blushing densely. He turns to look at you, a cute smile on his face, and he slowly walks toward you. His right hand takes your shoulder strap off and let it fall down to your upper arm. He leans and kisses your cheek. Then he whispers in your ear: "If you love me, you have to prove it." You take his head in your hands and softly kiss his lips. He quickly moves his left arm behind your back, while the other hand pushes you and pins you against the wall. His kiss is so intense; he looks so thirsty for your lips that he refuses to let go. Your fingers are playing with the black strands of his hair. His lips move slowly down to your neck and caress your skin so softly. His right hand descends from off your shoulder and holds your waist even closer to his muscular body. His mouth travels back to your ear and whispers: "I love you too."

He suddenly lifts you up, and spins around, a wide smile covering his face. But he loses balance, so he falls backwards over the couch, while you follow him, landing on the top of his body. You two start laughing like never before. You then gaze at each other, tears of happiness in your eyes, when you lean closer to him and kiss him one more time, saying: "You are the craziest prince I've ever seen." He chuckles and replies: "I bet I'm the ONLY prince you've ever met."

You rest your head on his chest, listening to the relaxing lullaby that his heart is playing for your ear. The sweet rhythm of his heartbeats was enough for you to fall asleep on his chest. He smiles quietly: "I love you… _." You two sleep soundly, wishing that this night would last forever.

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8: Give our Love a Chance

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix :)

*The Characters of this story belong to SQUARE ENIX, except for you of course, and MARCUS DEMETRIUS and his daughter CAMILLA DEMETRIUS… these two last characters are inspired by my own imagination, as well as their names. MARCUS is supposed to be the King Caelum's cousin and the commander in chief of the kingdom's army; thus, he is responsible for protecting the Royal Crystal.*

You walk through the doorway of the academy and find Stella running toward you. She hugs you tight causing you to choke. "_... you're here! How are you doing today? You scared me to death… you know that?"

"I'm sorry about that, Stella. But I'm doing better today. Thanks for your concern, but if you were really scared to death, I'm actually choking TO DEATH." You say.

"Oops! Sorry. Well, I missed you really bad." She says while pulling away, a grin on her face. "I was really worried about you… Noctis was too. I wanted to stay at your house yesterday, you know, to take care of you. But then I thought I'd give you two a private time together. So… did anything happen between you two while I was gone?"

Your cheeks warm up and red roses appear on your face: "What are you talking about? What would happen…? What?! Stella! Please, stop doing this to me."

"That's because you don't see how your face looks like every time I mention Noctis to you… It would be awesome if you two get together… You will be the cutest couple ever." says Stella.

"Stella, he… I am… look, Noctis is the perfect man that any girl would wish for; but I am not fool to think that he wou-…" you pause when you hear your phone ringing. You take it out of your pocket. "Excuse me Stella-… Hello?"

"Hello, princess."

His voice sets the chill in your veins. You answer: "Noctis! Hi." You look at Stella to see her grinning. You shake your head and look away. "Noctis… what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Is it wrong to call you?"

"No, no… it's just…"

"I know it's been only an hour since I left your house but… I miss you already, _."

You didn't want Stella to know what's going on, but you surrender to the sweet truth. You reply to him: "I miss you too."

"Would you like to go out with me tonight, at 8? If you don't mind, of course… you know, our… our first date."

"That'd be great. See you then."

"I love you."

"Love you too. Take care."

You slip the phone back to your pocket, and look at Stella to see her lifting one brow up, crossing her arms and waiting for an explanation. "What?" You ask, pretending like nothing happened. She answers: "Admit it, _. What's going on?"

You say to her: "I think you already know what's happening."

"Oh, I do. But I want you to admit it. Just say the word and I promise I'll stop bugging you."

"Alright, alright." You continue with a faint voice, "He asked me out, tonight."

"What? Sorry, I can't hear you." She says sarcastically.

"We're dating. Okay?" The moment you said that she starts jumping and shouting with joy: "I knew it! I knew it!" She hugs you and says: "I'm so happy for you… _. Noctis must be very lucky to have you as a girlfriend. I wish you two the best."

"Thank you Stella." You hug her back. "You're the best friend ever. Thank you."

From that night on, Noctis started taking you on dates, almost every day. He took you around the city, into the restaurants, to the parks… everywhere. He wanted to introduce you to his world; you got to know him better with every moment you spent with him; he looked like a prince, but you could see in him the heart of a child. You shared everything you know, everything you feel… your two different worlds don't look as distinct as before. He made you feel like home…

One day, you were walking on the beach, holding each other's hands, while the fresh waves are caressing your bare feet; He moves and stands in front of you, bringing your hand close to his heart, and asks you: "_. If I ask you a question, will you answer me, frankly?"

"What is it, Noct?"

"_. Will you…" he looks away for a moment and back into your eyes. "Will you marry me?"

You slowly slip your hand from off his chest and look down, blushing ardently. Then you quickly fold your arms around his waist, holding him tight, and reply while tears fall from your eyes: "Yes, Noctis. Yes, I will." You feel his arms are pulling you even closer to his body, embracing you so tenderly. "I love you", he says softly. You look up at him and stare at his blue eyes that are now shining with happiness, but for some reason you can't smile freely, despite your joy. "Noctis. What if… what if I'm not the right one? What if the King doesn't accept me? I know you love me, but the truth cannot be denied that easily-…"

"_... You said it… I love you… it's only me and you here. We don't need the acceptance of others. All I need is you. Don't worry about it, my love… my parents will be delighted to meet you… but again, it's not about my parents or anybody else; it's only about you and me… us."

You stand on your toes to reach his lips and you kiss him. You can feel his smile getting even wider in response to the kiss. You break the kiss, but your lips are still touching his, and you whisper: "You and me, together."

*The next day*

*In the Royal Castle*

Noctis walks into the living room where his parents were sitting. "Good morning" he says. "Good morning, my dear. It's been rare to see you around lately. Busy with something?" asked the Queen. "I know." He replies, while sitting down on the couch, "just wandering around, that's all."

"But son," the King starts, "instead of 'wandering around', wouldn't it be more preferable for you to be present in my meetings with the ambassadors and ministers? I know you are a responsible man, my son, and that you are taking your tasks seriously… but you always miss the meetings; and I know that you are doing it on purpose."

Noctis shrugs: "I think they are meaningless… I'm sorry father, but I can arrange the kingdom matters my own way. By the way… I have no interest in political meetings; but I believe there's one really important matter that I would like you to know about."

"Something that has gained your attention! This is unusual! It must be something very interesting." says the King.

Noctis continues: "Actually, it's not something. It's … someone…" He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs and crossing his hands in front of him, while his thumbs are nervously waging. He looks at his feet, trying to collect the right words to start with, and then he begins: "Um… there's a girl…"

The queen immediately puts her teacup down on the table: "A girl you say?!" He nods quietly. She stands up, approaches her son and hugs him warmly: "Aww, finally! I'm so proud of you. This is the best news I've ever heard." Then she whispers into his ear: "Is she the same one you met at the ball?" He blushes and nods again. She gives him a warm kiss on his forehead and pulls away to sit back on her chair, a smile never leaving her face. The father puts down the papers he was studying all that time and looks at his son. Unlike the queen's reaction, the traits of his face didn't change. Noctis moves his eyes from his mother and looks at the king.

The king starts: "So, who's she? Someone I know?"

"No father. But she lives in the city, and she's a student at the Caelum Academy. She's a nice-…"

"What's her father's name? He could be someone I know."

"I don't think you do. She's not originally from here. She moved to the city few m-…"

"NOCTIS… I think we've already discussed this… You can't just pick any girl and take her as your wife…it can't be this easy. You must be careful and wise while making such decision. And, What about Camilla, Marcus Demetrius' daughter? Isn't she supposed to be your bride-to-be?

"Again with Camilla… Father, please. I told you a million times, I don't like her… at all. She's annoying, mean, arrogant…"

"Noctis… since when have you started speaking that way? Camilla is a noble young woman. You don't know her because you don't spend much time with her. [Noctis rolls his eyes with annoyance] Furthermore, her father has been serving me for a long time. He's not only the commander of the army, but he's also my cousin; so I entrust him with my life. He's been protecting our kingdom for years now. This is the least thing I would give him to show my gratitude to him for all his services; I would be glad to make his daughter a princess, our daughter-in-law."

Noctis objects: "But dad… What about me? Don't I have the right to make my own choices? I can't marry someone I don't even like. What will my life be like? Father, I'm sure if you meet _, you will like her. She's just wonderful… if you just give us a chance…"

"Us?! Don't you think it's too early for you to say 'us'?! I will not allow that to happen… not to you, my son. I won't watch you throw away your life just like that! I've already spoken to Marcus about your marriage, and he accepted. He was very delighted to hear my offer; so was Camilla."

"What?!" Noctis jumps from his place, "How could you do th-… Of course he'd be delighted… his daughter is going to be a princess… that's what he wanted in the first place. You are my father, and I respect that. But as for marriage, I choose the right girl, and I'm the one who makes the proposal, not you."

"Watch your tongue, young man!" the father says with a serious tone.

"I'm sorry father… But I really love her. I… I can't imagine my life without her in it."

"Enough, you two!" The queen interferes. She was known for her gentility and wisdom. She knew how to react in such situations. She walks toward her son, sits beside him and holds his hand. She looks back at her husband and says to him: "Honey, how about we give your son a chance? I think he deserves it… don't you think so?" Noctis pleads: "Please father, one chance… trust me… I won't let you down."

The king takes a deep breath and replies with a faint voice: "Alright…One chance."

"So, Noctis," the queen continues, "How about you invite her for some tea, today evening?"

"Sure," Noctis responds, "but only if it pleases father." He looks at the king, hoping for his approval. The king nods: "I shall see you both this evening then."

A wide smile appears on the prince's face, "thank you, father". He kisses his mother's cheek and runs out of the room, impatient to tell you the good news.

*Few hours later*

The king is sitting in his office, browsing the papers on his bureau, when someone starts knocking on the door.

"Come in." the king says. The door opens and a young lady walks in and closes the door behind her. "Is it an inappropriate time to talk with your highness? I can see you're very busy." She says.

"No, Camilla. Not at all. Please have a seat." The king replies.

She sits down and starts speaking: "Your highness, I know it's not my position to speak about this, but… but I heard some maids were talking something about prince Noctis… is it true, your highness?"

The king looks at her, sighs and answers: "What did you hear exactly?"

"Prince Noctis is planning on proposing to a girl… I hope it's nothing but a rumor. Your highness?"

"I'm afraid it is true. I tried to convince him, to talk to him… but he's so stubborn. I'm not able to see where this is going to end up." He stands up and starts walking around the room. "He always obeyed me, even when it was against his will… but this time, it seems different. My intention is not to act like a king and control over him… I'm trying to be a father, to stop him from making wrong decisions. But he seems to be more confident than ever… I don't know what to do."

Camilla walks toward the king and falls down to his feet. She takes his hand and says: "Please, sir. Don't make me lose him. You know I've always loved him. Remember your promise to my father. I don't aspire to be a princess… all I want is to be his bride, his mate for life." She starts crying and sobbing: "My lord… I'm not asking for much. I just want him to accept me. Please, try to talk to him again… try to tell him how much I love him. I am ready to bear all the responsibilities that a princess should carry, for my love to him is stronger than everything else. Please, your highness."

The king rests his hand on her head: "Don't worry, my child. I'll do my best to convince him. I promised your father, and my promise I shall never break. Go now, and I swear that everything will be just fine. Just be patient, okay?"

She nods and stands up on her feet. She wipes her tears, thanks him and walks out of the room. She passes the hallway into another chamber. She walks in to see a man with gray hair, sitting behind his desk, his back facing the chamber's entrance and looking from the wide window in front of him. She starts speaking to him: "Father. I did as you asked me to do."

"Excellent… what did he say?" he asks.

"He will do his best to fulfill your wish."

"Great job, my dear Camilla… great job." He stands and walks toward her, a grin on face. "This is our time to make the next move… and I am going to make you a princess."

A smile crosses her lips: "Yes, father. I'll make sure of that."

He opens the door of his office, and before he walks out he tells his daughter: "Camilla, get ready for the next act. King… Down."

To Be Continued…


	9. Chapter 9: Goodbye, my Prince

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix :)

All the characters of this story belong to SQUARE ENIX, except for you, Marcus Demetrius and his daughter Camilla. I "fabricated" these two last characters to make my story a bit more exciting.

Part IX: "Goodbye, my Prince…"

Marcus Demetrius, the army commander, is sitting in the king's office, discussing some important issues with the king, when he mentions his daughter, Camilla. He was insisting that Noctis must marry Camilla, taking in consideration that she held royal blood, for the mother of Marcus was the king's aunt. He kept persisting: "Your highness… since she was still a little child, Camilla always has dreamed of being Noctis' wife. It's not because she's my daughter or anything, but she's a very nice and intelligent young woman. You won't regret taking her as your son's bride." The king replies: "Marcus, I fully understand every word you're saying, and I'm aware of it. I consider Camilla as my own daughter, and it has always been my will to join her and my son together. But Noctis is being more stubborn than ever, and he resolved to choose his bride. I can't just oppose him, but I still don't want him to throw his life into chaos. I just want him to be happy and satisfied." Marcus then says: "But, your highness… I'm sure that Camilla is the only one that can assure the prince's happiness and contentment. Moreover, if Noctis marries Camilla, Caelum's legacy will remain ours… but if he chooses some mere girl from humble background, all your glory and the one of your forefathers will bestride to some common people that have no royal blood in them. I'm not putting any pressure on you, but I know you, my king, are wise and prudent… after all, you are the King, and nobody can oppose you… so please, I wish you talk to your son about this matter, and I'm sure that Camilla will be greatly appreciative of your help." The king then replies: "You're right, Marcus… I know you care for the kingdom's good. I will talk to him about it, tonight." Marcus then stands up and walks out of the office.

*In the Limo, Heading toward the castle*

You sit on the leather seat of the car, nervous about what awaits you there in the castle. You are going to meet the King and Queen in person! You were not ready for that… you didn't have a fancy dress like the one you wore in the ball; but you picked the cutest dress you could find in your closet, hoping that it would be suitable for such an occasion. You nervously stroke the smooth fabric of your dress, trying to calm yourself down and think positively, when you feel someone is caressing your hand. "Nervous?" Noctis asks. You answer: "Maybe, a little."

He presses on your hand, trying to give you some strength. "Don't worry _. Everything will be just fine; you'll see. I'm nervous too, since it's my very first time; but I'm sure we'll do well." You smile to him and say: "Thanks, Noct. I promise I won't do anything embarrassing." He chuckles: "Well, I'm sure you won't." He pauses for a while and then continues: "Hey, _. Do you remember that time, when you came to the ball? Do you remember what I told you? When I said that you looked beautiful that evening, more like a lovely flower, a rare one?" You look at him and smile: "Yeah… how can I forget that?" He then resumes: "Well today, you… you look like a butterfly." You blush immensely, and look away toward the window, a smile never leaves your lips. But you could swear that he was blushing too after saying those sweet words, but, unlike you, he didn't want to look away. He keeps staring at you, studying every detail of you, while he was still holding your hand tenderly.

You arrive to the castle and get out of the Limo. He takes your hand, and you two walk up the stairs, through the entrance and into a vast hallway. You find Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus standing there at the gate. "SUP, love birds! You two are late! Were you two busy doing something before coming here?" Prompto asks, showing a huge grin on his clownish face, when Gladiolus wraps his strong arm around his neck, choking him almost to death, and says to you: "Please, forgive his reckless talk, missy… enjoy your meeting." You chuckle. Noctis then says: "Come on, let's go… Keep it down, boys." You were about to walk away when Ignis calls Noctis: "Sir, can I have a word with you?"

Noctis replies: "Not now, Ignis. We'll talk later."

"Sir, it's important. Urgent, sir." Ignis insists. He takes Noctis aside and starts hissing to him some words that you were not able to hear.

"Noctis, I thought I better inform you about this. Today, I… I was walking in the corridor; when I passed near the office door, I accidently heard Lord Marcus speaking with the King." Noctis looks at him, sarcastically questioning: "Accidently?... weren't you maybe eavesdropping on them or something?"

Ignis seems lost for words, trying to justify his previous actions: "Noctis sir... I'm terribly sorry. But since you told me that you don't trust Lord Marcus, I've been trying to find out what he's been up to. Anyway, I believe they were talking about you. Marcus was convincing his highness to force you to leave Miss _ and propose to Camilla instead. I thought it might be better if you knew about it before meeting with the king."

Noctis's facial expression are now changed, irritated after hearing what Ignis said. "What did my father say?"

-"He said he'll try to talk to you."

-" Damn! Today of all days... Go now, we'll talk later."

-"Yes, sir. I'm sorry about that."

Noctis turns to join you back, taking your hand and leading you to the main living room. You could feel the temper in his face and movements, so you stop and make him look at you. "Noctis... is something going wrong? If it's a bad time to meet your parents... well, it's okay. We can do it another day."

He smiles and kisses your hand, saying: "No, _. Everything is okay. This is a big day for me, I mean us. Nothing can stop us now. Right?"

He bends and kisses you. Then he rests his forehead on yours and says; "Let's do this… Ready?" You nod and kiss him one more time.

"Good evening. Am I late?" Noctis asks, opening the door of the room where his parents were sitting.

"Not at all, my dear." His mother answers. The king didn't respond with a word, while conflicting thoughts are running in his head."

"Father, mother. I would like you to meet _... my girlfriend." Noctis says.

You walk in with trembling steps and stand beside Noctis. You respectfully bow and speak, a quivering tone appearing in your words: "Good evening... my greatest honor to meet you, my King, my Queen." It is apparent how nervous you are… you didn't even want to meet their gazes, so you keep looking down at the floor.

The queen leaves her seat and walks toward you. With every step she takes, you feel like your heart is jumping from its place. You feel silky fingers touching your chin and lifting your head. Finally, your eyes meet hers and she suddenly holds you warmly. You don't even know whether you should hold her back or not. She draws back and looks at you with bright eyes: "It's so good to see you again. I remember you, the girl who stole everybody's attention... most of all, my son's. No wonder why he liked you, you are so pretty." Your face turns terribly red; all you could do is nodding. "No need to be shy…" she continues, "please join us for some tea."

The king stands up, walks few steps closer to you and greets you: "Nice to meet you, Miss _. Noctis was always talking about you, so excitedly; I didn't understand why... but now I do." Noctis' face warms up with embarrassment. His father continues: "Please, have a seat." Noctis sighs with relief and invites you to sit beside him on the luxurious couch.

The queen never stops looking at you, with a smile not leaving her face. She is so pleased that her son has finally chosen his future princess. Noctis starts telling them about how you two met and boasting about how pretty and smart you are… you couldn't keep your face from blushing even more. You don't speak a word unless the queen asks you questions. But Noctis's father didn't take part in the conversation; he kept silent, staring at you and noticing the innocent shyness in your features… then he turns his sight to observe the excited and happy look of his son. He expected Noctis to marry a wealthy girl, a Lady from a well-known family, but his happiness to see the rejoicing in his only son's eyes was overwhelming. But for some reason he didn't wish to show his contentment.

Noctis's happy moments were interrupted when, suddenly, someone knocks the door. Marcus opens and walks into the room, his daughter following him, and he starts greeting everybody. He stops in front of you and salutes you with a huge grin: "Good evening, Missy." Noctis' smile fades away, perceiving something bad behind that grin. Camilla looks belligerently at you, making you feel uncomfortable.

"So, your highness… did you speak with the prince about our little discussion? Because, you know, I think the matter has taken so long." Marcus addresses the king.

The king replies: "No, Marcus, I didn't. I've already promised you, I will. But, I think it's not the right time now, since we have this lovely guest here. Now, please, Marcus…"

"But sir," Marcus interrupts, "everybody's here, so I think it's a perfect opportunity." He turns to face Noctis. "We were talking about you and Camilla. We've got to start arranging your wedding, as soon as possible. Don't you think?"

His words shock you. 'Wedding?!' you think… 'What is happening?' Noctis stands up, angrily clenching his fists, and says: "No way! There's no way that Camilla would become my wife. And, for your information, _ is the one that I wish to spend my life with."

"Noctis, I thought…" Camilla speaks. But her father continues: "Noctis, we've already planned for all the arrangements. There's no way to hold back. Anyhow… would you replace my lovely daughter with this trash!..." He couldn't complete his words when Noctis loses his temper and punches him on the face, knocking him to the ground. "Say one more word about her and I'll kill you" he says, ready to punch him again. You hold his fist trying to calm him down.

Camilla gasps after witnessing Noctis' actions and runs out of the room, crying. The king is furious because of what happened, and he hurries to help Marcus standing up. Marcus pushes him away and threatens Noctis: "You will regret this… you'll see… I'll make you pay for what you've done." Then he gets out of the room.

He rushes through the hallway and heads toward his office. He enters and finds Camilla waiting for him in the office. "So, father… how did I do?" she asks him, wiping the tears off her face.

He grins and replies: "You did just great, Camilla. But don't worry… these 'fake' tears won't be in vain. We might have lost today's battle, but tomorrow we'll win the war. Get ready for the plan B."

"Noctis" the king asks angrily, "What do you think you're doing?!"

The queen intervenes: "Well, I believe Marcus was speaking insanely. Isn't it Noctis's to choose his right bride?"

The king continues: "That's not what I'm talking about. He doesn't have the right to hit Marcus. He's the army commander."

"So what?!" Noctis begins, "I'm the prince; and I don't think he has the right to make decisions concerning me. I don't even trust him. Are you trying to somehow save your reputation by defending him?" You feel like Noctis is starting to talk recklessly, blinded by his anger, so you try to prevent him from releasing any foolish words. "Noctis, please stop." You whisper.

The king says: "He's always been ready to defend me with his own life. How come you don't trust him?"

-"I'm not you, father. If you trust him, then it's your problem, not mine. If you're not aware of your enemies… I can't change that. Your worst enemy might be found in your own household."

-"But I appointed Marcus as a commander even before YOU became a prince… before you were born. Who are you to tell me whether or not I should trust him?"

Noctis says: "When I become a king, I'll make sure that he…"

"BUT YOU'RE NOT KING YET!" the king shouts. "And if you keep acting like a child, you will never be a king! So grow up! You are going to marry Camilla, and that's final."

You feel burning fire igniting in your chest, trying to melt some tears in your eyes, but you do your best to look strong. Then Noctis speaks and his answer shocks you: "No! I am going to marry _, and I'm ready to fight for her."

The king responds: "I said it's final. Take it as a punishment for life, for you didn't show me any respect as a father or a king. You are going to marry Lady Camilla. And if you try to do the opposite, I'll be in your way."

Noctis says: "Then try to stop me." The king raises his hand and smacks his son on the face, leaving a red streak on his cheek. You hide your gasp under you palms, but you are unable to restrain your tears from finally falling down your cheeks. Anyway, Noctis was able to keep his tears for himself, but he didn't let a single smack stop him from defending his love, so he speaks with a surprising confidence: "You can't stop me. No matter how much you try, you can't stop me from being happy, at least once in my life." His determination puts his father's patience to its limits, so he gets his palm ready to smack him one more time. But you quickly move to the front and stand between Noctis and his father. You respectfully bow to the king and plead him: "Your highness, please, forgive him. He didn't mean what he said. I apologize for all the problems that I might have caused. I fully understand your concern for prince Noctis, and I know you seek the best for him." He regretfully turns his sight away from you, unable to face your watery eyes. "It's not about you, my daughter. You didn't cause any problems." He says with a low voice.

You turn to face Noctis, and you notice the reddish streak on the side of his face. You slowly brush that painful mark with your fingers, and you smile to him despite of the pain that is dwelling in your heart, saying: "I'm sorry Noctis. But I can't watch your life being ruined because of me. I loved you, but we can't be together… I'm sorry." You go past him, as crystal drops escape your eyes and float into the air, and you head toward the door. Before you go out of the room, you turn around and say to them: "I was very happy to meet you all… thank you" then you hurry out. Noctis calls your name; his echoing voice makes your heart ache, but you don't stop running away. He runs few steps toward the door in attempt to go after you, but his father stops him. "Noctis, stop right there. Let her go. Saying goodbye will only cause her pain." Noctis feels his body is weakening with every step you took away from him. "_... I'm sorry."

You run through the corridor, stumbling few times as burning tears are blurring your sight, weeping for having to leave your prince behind, the prince that had loved you so much. "Goodbye, Noctis."

The End

Just kiddin'… :P

To Be Continued…


	10. Chapter 10: The Kingdom's Worst Enemy

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

The characters of this story belong to Square Enix, except for Marcus and Camilla Demetrius. As for the queen, I thought it would be better if I gave her a name. I gave her the name "Lucretia". I don't know… I just made it up. XD

* * *

Part X: "The Kingdom's Worst Enemy"

"Goodbye, Noctis"… You run through the vast hallway, trying to reach the exit. But your heart is aching even more, and the thick layer of pure tears is blinding your eyes. You wanted to run away, but you feel that your body is getting ever weaker, so you drop to your knees, your hands on the floor, and you start crying your heart out. Bitter tears fall down on your hands and burn your skin, while you breathe his name: "Noctis… I love you…" You bury your face in your palms and try to wipe the tears off your face, when you hear steps heading toward you. You open your eyes and notice a man standing in front of you. "Noct…" You raise your head and look at him. "I know this must have been hard on you," Marcus says, a grin on his face, "but I promise, I will make it up to you."

*Noctis' part*

The king tries to convince Noctis that he, as a prince, must first think of the kingdom's interests and relinquish his selfish desires. Noctis doesn't respond with a word.

"Noctis, I understand you… you want to feel free making your own decisions and choices in life. But this time, it's serious. I cannot refuse Marcus' request… because I am trying to save our dynasty. This must be everybody's priority… don't you think, Noctis?" says the king.

"Again with Marcus?" the queen intervenes, "I am not underestimating his efforts, but I think that your son is able to take good care of the throne without Marcus' help. Moreover, how would _ affect the prosperity of our Dynasty? I trust Noctis' choice, so I think _ would be the perfect princess for our kingdom."

"I am not against _," the king says, "I know she's beautiful and nice… but, still… being a princess means more than just appearances… a princess must be ready for and worthy of handling all the responsibilities set upon her. So I think that _ doesn't have the same qualifications that Camilla has."

"Because you didn't give us a chance." Noctis finally speaks in a low tone, "I asked you to give us a chance but you didn't. You simply do whatever Marcus asks you to do."

"My son. Look. I gave you a chance, but then I realized that Marcus' offer is… is better for you… for all of us. Now, please listen to me and do as I ask, and I know that you will never regret it. You are the prince, and a prince is always ready to sacrifice, even with something he really cherishes, for the sake of the throne. This is your responsibility… the burden of the throne will soon be fallen upon you, so you have to learn how to be responsible… you have to learn the meaning of sacrifice."

Unwilling to face his father's eyes, Noctis says: "It's all set then… father, if you don't accept _ to be my future wife, then you can't accept me as your son… for _ and I are one, and nobody can change that."

"What?!" the king exclaims, "What are you talking about?!"

"If _ doesn't live here in this palace, as a member of the family, then I can't stay here anymore. And as for my responsibilities, I'll do just as you asked… I will sacrifice." Now he raises his head and looks at his parents. "I've always sacrificed for the sake of this kingdom, and I will always do so. Therefore, I, here, Noctis Lucis Caelum, abandon my position as prince, as well as all the authority that you had bestowed on me." He bows and adds: "I apologize, your highness, but you left me no choice. Pardon me, I must go now."

He turns away and starts walking toward the door when his father calls him: "Wait! What are you saying?! You must have lost your mind! You're the last heir of our dynasty… you're my successor, my son! Who's going to protect the crystals? You're the only one I can count on to maintain the peace for our people..."

Noctis then stops and says: "Well, you said you trust Marcus… let HIM protect the crystals… moreover, I might not be the prince any longer, but I will defend the kingdom, my own way." When Noctis reaches the door and opens it, the king starts yelling: "Is that so?! Is that how I raised you? To become selfish and ignorant of the most important things?! You are free to do whatever pleases you, but this is something that you must know: I was wrong for thinking that you were ready for the royal crown... BUT YOU ARE NOT… you are not worthy of being the next king… you're not even worthy of being my son!"

His words made Noctis' chest ache, but he didn't want to show that weakness. He takes a step out of the room, but before the door closes he turns around, faces his parents and bows one last time, saying: "No need to feel any regret, my lord. You taught me to do what's right… And that's what I'm going to do. Farewell, your highness… my queen."

"No, Noctis… wait!" the queen shouts, running after her son. But the king stops her: "Leave him alone… let him go."

"I can't watch him go… no matter what he said, he is still a child. He's my son… how can I let him go?" she cries.

"He's my son too… my only son. But I know that he'll be back… he WILL come back." The king says, a thin layer of shiny tears appearing in his eyes.

* * *

"_... open up! Please." Noctis pants, while knocking on the front door of your house. He knew he couldn't use his father's properties anymore, so he refused to ride the limo. He took a cab instead. He was calling your number the whole way, but no answer. Now he stands in front of your house, waiting for your response. The lights in the house were all off, which worries him even more. He keeps knocking on the door: "_... please. Open the door. I know you're in there, and you don't want to talk to me. I don't blame you for being upset. What happened today was too much for you, I know… because it made me upset too. So please, let me talk to you. Forget about my parents… I came back here for you, so please don't ignore me. I'm ready to lose everything for you… Everything." He slowly kneels down, sliding his head against the door, and starts crying: "I'm not the prince anymore… so it's okay if we stay together. I want to be with you, _. I love you."

* * *

"Where am I", you slowly open your eyes and find yourself lying on the floor of a dark room. You gaze into the dim corners, but everything is covered with a thick curtain of darkness. You try to get up, but soon you realize that your hands are tied up behind your back. "What! What happened?! Where am I?!" You hear someone's steps drawing closer to you. You slightly raise your head to see who's there. "You finally woke up." He says, slowly walking out of the obscure corner.

"You?! What have you done to me?" You ask, panic clearly appearing in your voice.

Marcus plays a menacing grin on his face. He kneels and reaches your chin with his cold fingers. His dirty touch chills your body. "Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" You scream.

He tightens the pinch and says: "Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you, for the moment. I've got something more important to do, and you, my dear, will be my weapon."

"Weapon?! What do you mean?" you ask.

"Don't you see?! Noctis refused my daughter because he wanted YOU to be his future wife. That way, he foiled my plan of making Camilla become the princess and subsequently… my progress to a higher position. But no worries, I've seen that coming. So I have another plan. It won't only put me in a higher position, but also… who knows… I might become the new king!"

"No way!" you yell, "You can't do that. Noctis will stop you."

"Really?!" he continues. "Great then… kill two birds with one stone… I'll kill both the king and the rightful heir, in the same time. What do you think about that?! While you, sweetie, will be that stone that will kill them. Therefore, this kingdom will soon be mine."

"You monster! How dare you do this to-…" you couldn't finish your words when you suddenly feel a strong blow on your nape, causing you to lose your consciousness. He leaves your delicate body on the cold floor and whispers to you: "This shall be our little secret. Okay?"

* * *

The golden rays of the morning sun caress the dark strands of his hair. He slowly opens his blue eyes and realizes that he is sitting in front of your door. Noctis has spent the whole night there. It was a cold and freezing night, but he didn't care. All he needed was a sign from you. He didn't want to give up. He stands up and starts knocking on the door, but still, no answer. He tries to call you, but he doesn't get any response. So he decides to call Stella. When she tells him that you haven't called her since yesterday, fire starts to burn in his veins.

"Where are you _? What should I do now?" Bad thoughts start haunting his mind. 'What if something bad happened to her? Where could she be?'

His thoughts were interrupted when his phone starts ringing. He quickly reaches his phone, hoping it would be you. 'Ignis?'

"Ignis… what's wrong?"

"Your highness-…"

"Don't call me that… I'm not your prince anymore."

"Pardon… What do you mean, sir?!"

"Never mind. What is it that you're calling?"

"Sir, is the queen with you?"

"No. What do you 'with me'? Where is she?"

"We don't know sir. The king was looking for her this morning, but nobody was able to find her. He thought she would have followed you, but since she's not with you, then…"

"I'll come right away. Hey Ignis, I don't have the authority to give orders any longer, but allow me to ask you this last favor: Please… protect the king."

"Sir, what are you saying? You will always be my master… I will forever obey you."

"Thanks Ignis… I'll be there in minutes. Take care."

"Roger sir."

He slides the phone into his pocket. Marcus' threat from last night suddenly flashes across Noctis' mind: 'You will regret this… I'll make you pay for what you've done.' His analysis is now clear: "Marcus! You're behind this!" He starts running, hoping he would arrive on time before something worse happens. "Marcus… what are you planning to do? You bast-... Mother, please… hold on!"

The king walks into his office and closes the door behind him. He really wanted to cry… he loved his wife so much that he wouldn't forgive himself if any bad happens to her. He nervously paces around the room: "Noctis… where are you when I need you the most?" He spots a letter on his bureau, so he reaches for it and opens it. It reads: 'If you're looking for the queen, you have to meet me at the tower… you better come alone if you want her safe. But if you send for reinforcement, I will be going to kill your wife. Better hurry!'

"Lucretia… no!" He quickly leaves the office and starts running to the tower. Ignis stands in his way and starts convincing him that it would be better if he stays safe and lets the soldiers do the job. But the king refuses and gives his orders that nobody must follow him until he gets his wife back. He runs into the tower and goes up the staircases. "Lucretia… where are you?" He arrives to the top of the tower, into a wide old chamber, with cracked stone columns barely lifting its ceiling. He recognizes the body of his wife hanging against the wall, with her arms chained above her head. "Lucretia!" She lifts her head up and looks at her husband: "Regis… Regis… help me!" He runs few steps toward her when the shout of a bullet echoes in the air. A man comes from behind one of the columns with a gun in his hand. "So you came after all! You must be really brave to come here, alone, to save your wife… but yet, really stupid of you."

"Marcus?! Wha?! How?!" the king looks with shock at the man who once was trustworthy. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing… just having fun… seeing you all stressed up." Marcus says.

"Stop this foolishness! Release my wife."

"My apologies… but not before I get what I want"

"And what is it that you want, Marcus?"

"Your position as king."

The king clenches his fists in anger: "Noctis was right about you all along. I was too blind… I couldn't see the truth. Every single word he said was true. You are a traitor!"

"Too late for that, your highness… oh no, wait… it's your time to bow to me now, because soon, I will be YOUR KING. Bow to me." Marcus says with an evil grin.

"No, don't Regis! Don't!" the queen shouts. "You will always be my king!"

"Shut up!" Marcus yells at her.

"Why are you doing this? I've done nothing in my life to wrong you." Says the king.

"Nothing?! Nothing you say?! You've wronged me even before you became a king." Marcus roars. "My mother, N. Caelum, was your aunt, your father's sister. But since your father was the oldest, he became the king, and you took the crown after him… now, your son is the next heir, while our side of the family, the secondary branch, was left behind. You claim to have the ultimate power and authority, but you forgot that I'm deserving of the same amount of glory that you have. The blood of kings still runs inside me, but why did fate choose you as king, not me?!"

"Enough with this madness!" the king shouts. "There is no reason for you to hate me… what you were saying is… it's insanity! Marcus… I've always treated you as a brother of mine, and I never tried to make you feel inferior to me. I trusted you, but you… you betrayed me."

"Now that you realize who your enemy is, step aside and give me what is rightfully mine."

"That will never happen."

"Fight me! Only then we will know which one of us is worthy of being the king."

"I will not fight you, Marcus."

"Then your wife will die!" He aims the gun at the queen, threatening.

"No, no! Leave her alone. I am your enemy, so kill me, but leave her alone."

"Haha, this is easier than I thought." The gun swiftly moves toward the king, aiming at him. "So long, my king." Marcus grins and shoots.

The queen's screams rise in the air, filling the corners of the chamber: "REGIS… NO!"

To Be Continued…


	11. Chapter 11: The True Sacrifice

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Based on the song "Slippin' Away" from Aziatix :)

Part XI: "The True Sacrifice"

You slowly open your eyes to find yourself lying on the wooden floor of a narrow, dark place. 'Where am I?' You try to move, but the place seems to be too small, more like a box. Your body is all numb and weak. You feel a severe headache, so you try to hold your head, but you realize that your hands are still tied up behind your back. "Wha"… your voice was silenced by a piece of cloth that is covering your mouth. Marcus' face flashes in your mind… 'That man! What does he want from me?' You force your body to move, but that was too hard for you to do. You can sense an unusual weakness anesthetizing your body. 'What should I do now? I'm… I'm done with…' Tears start falling down from your eyes. No glimpse of hope is able to sneak into this darkness… but you are still praying to see Noctis' face again, at least one last time. So you do your best to save the last breaths of air that still remain. You know there's not much left, but you don't want to surrender. 'Noctis… help me.' Every time your mind whispers his name, a tear falls down your cheek.

The silence of your dark place is suddenly disturbed by the voice of the queen, screaming: "IOVIS… NO!" followed by a boisterous gunshot.

Out of nowhere, and in a blink of an eye, the silhouette of a man appears in front of the king, and with his sword he hits the bullet to the floor before it was able to make its way to the king's heart. He says: "How dare you insult my king?"

Marcus lowers his gun and says: "Speed of light… invincibly fast… just as expected from prince Caelum." He chuckles and adds: "I knew you'd come."

"I came to rip you apart." says Noctis.

"Noctis", the king exclaims. "You came… after all. Everything you said was right. I was wrong about him all along. I had to listen to you from the beginning. So it's my fight now. Step aside… I'll fight him."

"No, your highness… leave him to me. He insulted you and the queen, so it's personal now."

"I can fight him, you stay out of this. I don't want you to get hurt because of my foolishness!"

"Don't worry, your excellency… I will-…"

"Stop calling me that! I am not your king… I am… I am your father."

Noctis turns his head and looks at his father from over his shoulder and says with a warm smile: "That's exactly why I'm here… because I am your son." The king's eyes lighten up, and he replies to his son's smile with a warmer one.

"Now, go please, and free the queen." says Noctis.

"Well, well, well!" says Marcus. "I see you've got your sword out of its sheath… aren't you a bit overconfident?"

"I wouldn't call it confidence… it's rage, for you have put your dirty hands over my mother and dared to take her as a hostage."

"I was just trying to drag you into my trap."

"And here I am. I came just as you wished. So let's finish this."

"Is that a challenge? Alright, if that's so, I'll be fair with you." Marcus puts his gun back in its holster and draws his sword. He runs toward Noctis, waving the blade against him. The two blades are interlaced in a whirl of burning sparks. Marcus doesn't want to lose to a young man like Noctis; he knew it's not wise to underestimate the agility and strength of the prince, but he wanted to drive Noctis' patience to its limits: "A minuscule brat like you is not capable of ruling an entire kingdom. So allow me to take that burden off your shoulders." He says, sarcastically.

"In your dreams… I won't let my people be ruled by a savage person like you." Noctis answers. He skillfully repulses every blow that Marcus throws at him. But in fact, Marcus' strength surpassed Noctis' expectation. 'He's fast!' Marcus has always been strong, but in this duel, his power seems to be… unbeatable. "How did you get-…" Noctis tries hard to not lose the grip of his sword, when a cloud of crystalline splinters starts encircling them. The tenseness between the two was enormous, so it pushes their bodies apart. "No… no way! You used the power of the crystals!" Noctis exclaims.

"Don't you think it's a bit too late for your ingenious conclusion? So what if I did? Don't I have the right to use it? I am from the royal family too."

"No! You know you don't. The crystal has an immense power that could exterminate a whole nation! Please, give it back."

"You cannot prevent me from taking what belongs to me. I'm not only talking about the crystals; the throne also is rightfully mine."

"You know more than everybody else that the power of the crystals is kept inside our kingdom to be protected. Our family has been defending it for generations, so no barbarians and thieves would possess it and use it for their own selfish desires. You are no different, that's why I will be standing in your way. I won't let my people suffer because of your greediness."

"My ambition is not only this kingdom and its pathetic people… with this power I can rule kingdoms and nations of endless borders… I will be the master of this world."

"Then you will have to go through me first." Noctis attacks and their swords meet again. "That will be easy." Marcus chuckles.

The king takes his sword and starts hitting against the thick chains that are tying the queen's hands up on the stone wall. When the iron chains break, he casts his sword to the floor and catches his wife, holding her tight. "I was so scared!" she starts crying. "That's okay, my love. I'm here." He tries to calm her… but his attempt fails as they suddenly hear the screams of their son.

Marcus hand is grabbing Noctis' forehead and a wide grin is drawn on his face. Noctis' sword drops from his hand, and he slowly falls to his knees. His body trembles wildly, while his eyes are opened wide, terribly shocked. He slowly lifts his shaky hand and grabs Marcus' arm that is still pressing against his head. "What… what did you… do to me?" his voice quavers.

"I realized that the crystal doesn't only make me stronger. It also enables me to absorb others' power, just as I did with you now. Didn't you know that before, O Mighty Noctis?!"

"Yes… but… how… how did you know the forbidden secrets of the Crystals?!" Noctis asks.

Marcus releases his grip, but not for long. He fastens his clutch around Noctis' throat and says to him: "Because the Caelum blood runs in my veins… that's how I know." He lifts Noctis up and hangs him in the air, while his grip is still suffocating the young prince. "Do you think that the kingdom would need a weak and spoiled prince like you? Now hand over what is mine." He says. Noctis says from under his breath: "Never."

Marcus is now enraged by Noctis' resistance, so he smashes him on the floor. That drastic blow on Noctis' back caused him to cough blood out of his mouth, and he starts moaning in pain.

"Noctis!" the queen cries. The king leaves her side and hurries towards his son. "Noctis! Are you okay?" Before he was able to reach his son, Marcus turns to him and punches him in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Noctis couldn't bear watching his father being humiliated that way, so he reaches his sword with his trembling hand. He's barely able to move, but he forces himself to stand up on his feet. He can feel how weak his body is, so there's no way of winning this time, but he can't allow Marcus to go that far. So he aims his sword at Marcus and says, wiping the blood off his mouth: "You must pay for what you've done, Marcus."

"Pay?!" Marcus starts laughing. "Who's going to make me?! You?! Weren't you just choking in my hand like a little kitten? Speaking of choking, good thing that I remembered. I hope it's not too late now. Do you see that coffin over there, in the corner? You better count yourself lucky that you're not the one I chose to put in there. But, that coffin is not empty, you know." He walks toward the wooden casket, while his eyes are still fixed on Noctis. "Don't be so surprised! Did you really think that I would let you set your mother free so easily if I didn't have another hostage in hand? I really hope he or she didn't choke inside."

Noctis anxiously asks: "What do you mean by 'another hostage'? What game are you playing?"

"You don't want to hand me the kingship, so I'll force you." Marcus puts his foot on the coffin and pushes it hard, sliding it across the floor. He walks back to the middle of the chamber where the casket had landed. He stands in front of it, turning his back to Noctis, and says: "I wonder who could be hiding in here." He breaks the iron lock that sealed the coffin, and opens the lid, saying: "Oh! Still alive! What a relief!" He grabs your arm and takes you out of that wooden prison. He turns back to face Noctis.

"_!" Noctis looks at you in shock. "Marcus, you devil! What did you do to her?"

"Honestly speaking… What a strong little kid she is! After all I did to her, and all she had to go through… she is still alive! No wonder why you love her." He places his sword close to your throat. "Is she precious to you, sir Noctis?"

"Leave her alone… this fight is between me and you, so she has nothing to do with all of this."

"You don't have the right to give orders. I fought you, and you lost. Right? So put your sword down." Noctis refuses, tightening the grip of his sword. Marcus repeats his threat: "You don't want her to get hurt… so if you don't put your sword down, I'll make her head roll on the floor." Noctis cannot afford the threat, so he throws his blade on the ground.

"I did as you asked… so let go of her." He says. Marcus uses his blade to cut the rope that is tightly coiled around your wrist, and loosens the cloth that is covering your mouth. But he didn't let go of you, menacing you again with his iron blade fixing to your throat. Noctis notices how weak and trembling your body is. So he asks angrily: "What have you done to her?"

"Oh, don't worry… not much. I just divested her from her power, so she won't be able to move for a while. I think you know how it feels like. Right Noctis?" Noctis clenches his fists: "How could you?"

Marcus continues: "See… even when I loosened her hands, she is not able to move a muscle. So, Noctis… it's your choice now: Should I kill her and make you feel the guilt for the rest of your miserable life, or you give me my request?"

"No! Don't kill her!"

"Then, I'll have to kill your parents… you choose."

"Marcus!"

"If it's too hard for you to choose, I'll make the decision for you." Marcus addresses you now: "Any last words, dear _?"

You look at Noctis with your teary eyes. You wanted him to be the last person you see. "Noctis…" your voice quavers, "You will always be my prince… I… I love you". You release the shiny tears as you close your eyes.

"How sweet!" Marcus sarcastically says, pressing the cold blade against your skin, causing a small cut on your neck.

"Stop!" Noctis shouts. "Please, let her go! Take me instead. Kill me, but please, don't cause her any harm."

"No, Noctis. No! Don't do that! Your life is more important than mine. Please…" You say to him.

"Shut up!" Marcus yells at you. Then he turns to address Noctis: "Are you seriously willing to put yourself in her place?! Would you go into the coffin instead of her?! How noble of you!" He pushes you away, causing your delicate body to ferociously hit the hard floor. Noctis takes a step forward in attempt to catch you from falling, but Marcus stops him, pointing the sword at him. Noctis looks at you, feelings of regret and sorrow in his watery eyes. "I'm sorry, _. This is the only way." He whispers.

"Let's make it fast and easy, shall we?" Marcus slides his sword back in its sheath and takes the gun instead. "Sweet dreams, prince." Noctis closes his eyes. The queen screams her son's name: "Noctis!" The king couldn't watch his son die before his eyes, so he runs toward him, hoping he could reach Noctis before the bullet does. "Noctis!"

Drops of scarlet red trickle down the floor… A sudden silence covers the chamber, but it isn't greater than the massive pain that followed the shot. Noctis opens his eyes and a big shock strikes him: "_!" You slowly lift your right hand and rest it on your chest, close to your heart. You feel warm fluid spreading across your chest; you wanted to squeeze your heart trying to kill that horrible pain… but you can't even lay a hand on the wound. It is terribly painful… but for some reason, and despite of your pain, you don't feel any regrets. Your body is weak and fragile, yes; but now you feel that your soul is stronger than ever. In this very moment, you feel strong and firm. You have the strength and courage to face Marcus himself. Now you know where your place is… here, between Marcus and Noctis… a while ago, your body was paralyzed; but when you saw the danger falling over Noctis, you didn't even think of what to do… your body moved by itself. The pain keeps growing deeper, but somehow you feel happy… you know it was the only way to save the man you love.

Noctis hurries and catches your body as it reposes in his arms. "_!" he calls your name. You smile faintly: "Noctis… I'm sorry… but I couldn't watch you die. Forgive me." You moan in pain, while he holds your nape with his hand, his thumb caressing your cheek: "_, what have you done? _, please, stay with me." He rests his forehead on yours; his face is very close to yours, enough for you to hear his silent sobs. He places a warm kiss on your lips… you can feel his lips shaking against yours… you slowly lift your hand and let your fingers play softly with the black strands of his hair. He breaks the kiss and whispers: "You're crazy! You shouldn't have done this." You move your hand and touch his face that is now watered by his tears. You chuckle and say: "I know… I am crazy about you."

To Be Continued…


	12. Chapter 12 Can't Watch You Slippin' Away

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

* * *

Part XII: "Can't Watch You Slippin' Away"

Your head rests quietly in his arms, while he holds you close to his chest. "_!" He tries to soothe you with his warm touch, but the pain in your chest is unbearable. "I'm sorry, Noctis." You whimper softly.

"Oh! Too bad! My mistake." Says Marcus, ironically. "What a brave little girl! She actually had the strength to stand in the way in order to protect you! What a pity! I think she's the one who's going to stay in the coffin after all."

"Marcus." Noctis stares at Marcus with eyes drowned in a carmine colored fury, filled with tears and rage. "You…" He rests your back on the floor, rises swiftly and charges towards his foe. Marcus releases another bullet from his gun, shooting the prince in the arm. But that didn't stop Noctis from attacking, so he grabs Marcus' arm and twists it with his bare hand, causing Marcus to loudly scream and drop his gun to the floor. Then he gives him a hard punch in his stomach, knocking him to the ground. Marcus groans in pain: "How did you-?…"

Noctis picks up his sword from the floor, while Marcus slowly tries to stand up. He's not able to use his right arm anymore for it is sore, so he draws his sword with the other hand in attempt to protect himself… but Noctis' anger is inevitable… "Marcus… you're dead…" With one strike, he breaks Marcus' blade in half and thrusts the cold iron sword into the traitor's heart. "How-?" Marcus croaks. "Where did you-… get all this-…?" Noctis answers: "This is something you'll never understand… it's called love."

Marcus moans quietly: "I… I just wanted to… all I wanted is to be… a king." Noctis' eyes gradually change into their natural blue, and he says: "I'm sorry Marcus, but this is something you must know: None of us, neither you nor I are worthy of becoming kings." Noctis pulls the blade out of Marcus' chest and lets the man's body drop to the ground, dead.

You gaze at the queen's teary eyes as she rests your head on her lap and softly caresses your hair. "_!" You hear Noctis' voice calling you as he holds you back in his arms, kissing your forehead so softly. "_... do you hear me?"

"Noctis… I'm… I'm fine… I'm glad you're okay."

"You're crazy… _, you didn't have to do this… you shouldn't have put yourself in my place. Why did you do this?"

"It's… it's something called… love." You answer.

His blue eyes sink in thick layers of tears as they look at your faint smile; he shortens the distance between you, "I love you" he whispers, and presses his lips against yours. You close your eyes after feeling the warmth of his breath blowing in your mouth. He slowly stands up, holding you in his arms, and walks few steps toward the exit. But his wound is bleeding badly, so he falls to his knees, unable to take another step. His mother hurries and kneels beside him: "Noctis, you are wounded! Please, don't move… or your wound will bleed even worse."

"No… I can't mother… I have to get to the hospital before it's too late. I can't leave her like this." Before he was able to finish his words, he feels that the weight of your body is being taken away from his arms. He raises his sight to see his father leaning down in front of him… he takes you into his arms and says: "Don't worry about her, Noctis. I'll take care of her."

"Father?" Noctis watches his father as he holds you and walks toward the door. The king turns his sight to his wife: "Lucretia, help Noctis standing up and follow me." He looks back at Noctis: "Son… don't worry. She'll be fine." He smiles warmly and head outside the chamber, and down the stairs.

You open your eyes to find yourself lying on his chest: "Your highness?" You say faintly.

"I know it hurts a lot now, but you'll be okay. Just, hold on." The king answers.

"But… but why? Why are you doing this? You don't have to-…"

"I cannot forgive myself for what happened to you… I admit that all of that was my fault. If anything bad happens, how will I face my son? How can I call myself a king when I can't even save one life… the life of the girl that saved me and sacrificed her life for my sake? Promise me you will live… this is not an order… this is for the sake of the man you love… for Noctis. Okay?"

"Thank you… your highness." You slowly close your eyes, leaving a warm smile on your lips. Despite your severe pain, you kept that smile for knowing that your prince is safe.

* * *

Noctis is sitting beside your bed, holding your hand so gently. "Why? Why did this happen? Why you… of all people?" You are sleeping soundly, with no movement or a sign. The doctors were able to successfully remove the bullet from your chest. But after the surgery, you were transferred to the intensive care unit. You've been in there for three days now, but you haven't awoken yet. The doctors were afraid that your situation might last long. The stimuli were not enough to wake you up, and neither were any of the doctors' efforts. Everybody was impatiently waiting in the hospital: your parents, the king, the queen, Stella and Noctis' friends. They all were praying for a sign, hoping for a ray of light.

Noctis never left your side. Though his wound is still fresh and painful, all he cares about now is you. His body is exhausted, and his eyes are weighted by the heavy tears he shed. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what happened: "_... this is all my fault. It was my job to protect you… but instead, you saved me. I didn't know that my love would cause you all that pain. I thought that we could live together happily, forever… I hoped for our happiness to last… but it didn't. I am ready to pay my life as a price to bring yours back. I tried not to cry… I tried to stay strong, to look strong… but I can't do this without you. You are my strength and my pride… if you fade away I'll be hopeless, weak… I'll… I'll die if you leave me." He leans toward you until his face is only couple of inches away from yours, ready to kiss you. But the feelings of blame and hesitation force him to pull away before your lips were about to meet. He starts confessing, bitterness and grief gashing his heart: "I can't _. I don't have the right to do this. I don't even deserve touching you, or looking at you. I'm the one who hurt you the most. Even when I tried to be responsible, I failed… I couldn't even protect you. _... father told me that if I wanted to be a prince, I would have to sacrifice… but when I said I was ready to sacrifice for the sake of our love, I didn't mean you… I didn't want you to be that sacrifice." He finally bursts into tears, and pure drops start flowing from his blue eyes like rare and shiny crystals. These are the same tears that were stuck in his eyes for a very long time; they were not frozen by the cold pride of a prince, but the warm hope of a lover has kept them sealed inside that deep blue prison.

"I know why all of this is happening… I should have listened to my father from the start. I had to leave you when he told me to. Now… now you are dying-…" He shakes his head with disbelief, "lost because of me. I am nothing but a loser… I disobeyed my father… I caused my mother to cry… I failed you. I've disappointed all of you. I feel like this is a punishment for me. I have acted like a reckless son and a bad lover. Please forgive me."

He starts caressing the silky skin of your face, and his body shivers after each soft stroke his fingers play against your skin. He draws closer to you and lies on the bed next to you. His fingers softly brush the delicate shape of your waist and abdomen. He rests his head over the right side of your chest, still able to listen to the quiet and slow beats of your heart. The sad music that your heartbeats are playing to his ears causes his spirit to tremble, so he couldn't but send few more tears free. "_... I know I might sound crazy, but I really love you, and I need you to come back to me." He stayed resting next to you for a while, praying for this nightmare to end. He lifts his head and whispers in your ears: "I can't watch you slipping away."

He takes a deep breath and pulls away to look at your face. His eyes widen, surprised by the scene. He stretches his hand and wipes the tears that have fallen from your eyes: "_! You… you're crying! Baby, did you hear me?! Can you hear me now?! _!" A wide smile appears on his face as he lifts your head closer to his chest: "_... is that a sign? Can you feel me? Please, say something to me… anything… wake up… please." His tears never stop falling; some of them are landing on your face, so he wipes them so gently. "I love you… _." He leans even closer and softly kisses your lips. His kiss is sweet and intense at the same time. After he started struggling for some air, his lips slowly travel to your forehead and leave another kiss there. "I love you."

He stands up and starts drying his watery eyes with his sleeve when he hears a deep whisper. "Noct." He lifts his eyes up to look at you to see you lying quietly in your bed, just the way you were for days. He smiles, realizing that he is just imagining things, and says: "Did you say anything, _." He watches your lips as they breathe his name again: "Noct."

He hurries and takes you in his arms again. "No way! _! You're awake! Can you hear me? Please, open your eyes… say my name again. I'm not dreaming, right?"

The sharp light sneaks into your eyes as you slowly try to open them. You can see the blurry shadow of a man in front of you. You whisper in a barely heard voice: "Noct... I… I… Love you… too."

To Be Continued…


	13. Chapter 13: My Light My Angel

Story: Reader x Noctis Lucis Caelum.

Part 13: "My Light… My Angel"

Few days past, and you feel that your body is getting slightly stronger after three days of deep slumber. All that happened to you seemed more like a dream, a painful one. The wound in your chest hasn't recovered yet, in fact it is getting more painful… it's like the bullet that tore your flesh has left a burning fire in your heart. But this aching wound had somehow changed something about you… it made your spirit stronger than ever… or was it Love that made you brave enough to defend the man of your dreams? You don't know whether you should cry because of your pain or smile after knowing that Noctis is safe. Now, you are looking at their happy faces that are trying to wash your angry pain away. Your parents are by your side, so you feel like everything is alright. They are now sitting beside your bed, tears of joy and relief shining in their eyes.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." Stella opens the door of the room and walks in along with the queen. Your parents stand up and politely greet the two ladies. "Stella… My queen… you're here." You say. Stella approaches you and gently grabs your hand: "You look much better today. We missed you, you know." You reply to her smile with another, saying: "Thank you, Stella… for sticking around. I wouldn't know what to do without you." She shakes her head and answers: "No… don't thank me. I didn't do anything. Noctis did." She winks at you, causing a couple of deep red roses to appear on your cheeks, before she slowly pulls back, letting the queen take her place.

"How are you doing today, my dear one?" The queen asks, a usual warm smile beautifies her face. She sits beside you on the bed, holds your hand and strokes your hair gently with her fingers. You can't but reply to her kindness with a smile. She continues: "I was very worried about you. Everybody was." She leans closer to you and whispers in your ear: "You don't know how troubled the king was… he didn't want to show them to anybody… his tears. But I saw them… for the very first time." Her words pour thick layers of pure tears into your eyes. She notices your fragile emotions, so she tries to keep you from crying by saying: "No need to cry, my precious. We are very proud of you. We are truly happy that Noctis chose you… he trusted you, and you were always deserving of his trust… Our trust. We are really sorry for causing you all that pain."

You languidly shake your head and say: "No… it was my choice to defend him, so you must not blame yourself, my queen. In fact, I… I don't regret my decision… at all. I am… happy."

She smiles and leans one more time, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead: "From now on, it will be our turn to make you happy." You hear knocks on the door. Stella goes and opens it. It was Noctis. His face is already blushing, which makes Stella chuckle. "Can I come in?" He asks. She laughs even louder. He looks quizzically at her: "What? Why are you laughing?"

She grabs his hand and pulls him into the room. "You are hopeless." She says. She leads him close to your bed. "_." He gazes at you with such bright eyes. His mother stands up and invites him to sit in her place, on your bed. He sits down, takes your hand and kisses it so softly: "How do you feel today?" He asks. The smile you were forcing for a while now has disappeared once you saw his face, and the tears that the queen was trying to dry couldn't help but melt and flow down your face. You start crying bitterly… you wanted to control yourself, but few quiet gasps keep escaping your throat. He tries to calm you down, but he can't find the right words to soothe you… he's just holding your hand, caressing it so gently with his thumb. Silence encircles you after you have calmed down a bit. You gaze at each other's eyes; you two had too many things to say, too many deep feelings to express… but you are totally speechless. "I… I am…" he pauses as he blushes even more, while everybody is staring at the two of you.

Your father notices that awkward silence, so he decides to break it: "Well, how about we give those two a moment alone?" They all agree and follow your father as he walks out of the room. Now there's only you and Noctis inside… he hesitates to look into your eyes, wishing that you won't notice his teary eyes. "Why did you do this?" he asks. "Why do you always scare me that way?"

You lift his chin up with your fingers and make him look at you again, saying: "I've already told you why… because I love you." He smiles at your answer and holds you close to him, but not too tight so your wound won't hurt: "You shouldn't have done this… _, I… I don't deserve your love. I never doubted your true feelings, but I never thought that you would be ready to die in order to save my life… what I want to say is… if you didn't wake up… if you had di- [his voice starts breaking]… I would die… I wouldn't live in a world that doesn't have you in it. If I'd known that our love would cause you all that pain, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you… What kind of a lover am I if I can't even protect the one I love? I wish I never loved you..." You slowly push him away from you and look straight into his eyes: "Noctis… I was able to hear every single word you said to me; even when I was sound asleep… I could feel even your breath as you spoke to me; so everything you're saying now won't change a thing. Your love is the only thing that makes me happy. And even if you didn't fall in love with me… I loved you anyways… so it's inevitable, you cannot escape my love."

He chuckles softly after your words, so you smile and continue: "I am willing now more than ever to fight for our love… I faced death once, and I'll be ready to face it again… and if any danger arises and threatens you, I'll be your guardian angel… so don't worr-…" you are cut as his lips press against yours, so passionately. It was clear how much he misses you… his breath, his warmth, the way he didn't want to let go of you and the way he struggles for breath as he tries to let the kiss last longer. He pulls few inches away and asks: "_. I know I asked this question before, but we've been going through a lot recently… so, I want you to answer me, again… _, will you marry me?" Your eyes shine brightly and you lift your right hand, softly caressing his cheek, and nodding: "Yes… yes I will." His smile grows even wider and he reaches into his pocket. With his other hand, he removes yours from off his face and slides a golden ring around your finger. "I love you, princess." You gaze deep into his eyes: "Noctis… this is… it can't be." He kisses your hand and then places it over the left side of his chest. "My heart is all yours… _, if your heart hurts, you can take mine."

You smile as you feel his heartbeats excitedly knocking against your palm: "Thank you, Noct… but it doesn't hurt that much. I'm feeling better now that you're here." He bends toward your chest and kisses the spot where the wound has left its imprint. You blush ardently as he looks back at you and asks you: "How does it feel now?" You start playing with his black hair and stroking its dark strands, whilst your eyes are never leaving his. You sigh softly and say: "Noctis? Do you remember the first time we met, when you drove me back home?" He smiles: "And how can I ever forget that?" You continue: "Well… do you remember when you told me that you like my name? To be honest, I forgot to tell you my little secret… I like your name too, Noctis Lucis Caelum."

His eyes widen in surprise: "You do?! My name?!"

"Yes… Light of the Night Sky, right?"

"Yeah… but… it's a horrible name… I mean, it's meaningless… rather stupid. I don't even know why my parents had chosen that name."

"No!" you say. "It means a lot… especially… to me. I think I know why they chose this very name. I liked your name since the very first time we met… but now, for me, it has a special meaning. I've been… living in a deep darkness for... for a long time. I was always alone… sad... I strove so hard to find the way out, but it seemed to be impossible. And every time I looked up to the sky searching for a ray of hope, I saw nothing but the gloomy and dark cloud that haunted even my happiest dreams. I thought I was dead and done with… death clenched over me and pulled me into its deepest abyss. I didn't want to get used to that darkness, but I felt hopeless… until you came and gave me your light. All I asked for was a glimpse of that hope, but with your light you shone over me and you illuminated my world. This is what 'Noctis Lucis Caelum' means to me."

Lost for words, he stares at you and slowly moves his head closer to you. Your lips are inches away when you hear someone is knocking on the door.

The king opens the door and asks: "May I come in?" Noctis stands up and greets his father. The king walks toward you, holding a bouquet of white roses in his hand. He gives it to you, saying: "I hope you are feeling better today, Miss _." You smile and thank him.

He addresses Noctis: "I have some good news… Camilla, Marcus' daughter, has been caught while she was trying to escape through the borders. She is charged with cooperating with her father in attacking the royal throne. So now, she no longer forms any threats to the kingdom. And… since Ignis was very cooperative and successful in protecting the throne, I assigned him to become the army commander in Marcus' place… so what do you think?"

Noctis smiles: "Well, you know I've always trusted Ignis… he deserves it. Thank you father."

"I only appointed him because you trust him, my son. I know he is able to handle this position more than anybody else… moreover, he's not a traitor. Right? One more thing…" the king continues, looking at you now. "Miss _, your parents are going to stay here, in our city. I found a very good job for your father… here… in the palace, to be more exact." His words surprised you; 'Why would the king do that?' you ask yourself; then you say to him: "Thank you, my lord. You didn't really have to do this."

"No, _." The king replies. "This is the least thing I could do. How will I ever show the right gratitude to the one who saved my son's life? No… you haven't only saved his life… but mine, the queen's, your people's… everybody must be thankful to have you as their…" he pauses, looking away for a while, and then continues: "I am really sorry for what happened to you… all this pain and violence that you had to go through… it's all because of my stupidity and pride. I can't forgive myself-…"

"Your highness... please, don't blame yourself for a decision of my own… I am okay now. Even if I had died… I would have done that for the sake of the kingdom, and the people that I love… so it would still be okay." Your smile melts the tears in his eyes. He draws closer to you and sits on the bed. He puts his hand over your shoulder and says: "There is something that I want you to know… The burden of the throne is very heavy… it's not everybody's ability to carry that load. A princess has lots of responsibilities… she must be a very patient and sacrificing person… a special being. You _ are not a princess… you never were, and you were not born to be one." Noctis interrupts the king: "Father! What are you saying?!" You look down and nod: "I know, sir. I understand."

"No, you don't." The king places his fingers under your chin and lifts your head to look back at him: "_... it's true that the blood of Kings doesn't run in your veins, but you have the spirit of Angels. You saved my only son from death; only angels can do that… only angels can achieve miracles. I have requested a perfect girl to become my son's bride, but God sent me an angel… what more could I ever ask for? You are my little angel, and the kingdom's most beautiful princess."

"Your highness?!" You feel his arms are folding around you, pulling you into a warm hold. He says: "Congratulations… _ Angelus Caelum." You lift your arms and hold him back, as tears fall nonstop. You look at Noctis to see him hiding his eyes behind his arm, wiping his tears off.

"I wish you two the best." The king stands up, turns around and hugs his son: "I can't wait until your big day comes."

"Thank you, father." Noctis says. The king walks toward the door, but before he leaves he turns back at you and says: "Before I go, I want to warn you." He points at Noctis. "This guy here is troublesome and very stubborn. I am terribly sorry that you have to spend the rest of your life with him." You chuckle while Noctis complains: "Father! Why you're saying that?!" The king starts laughing at his son's reaction, and then he addresses you one more time: "Your crown will be waiting for you, princess Caelum." He leaves with a huge smile.

Noctis hurries and sits back in front of you, looking at you with eyes full of joy and excitement. "So… how do you feel about that?" he asks.

"Nervous."

"I know… I am too. I can't believe it! You are going to be my wife… You… I…" he holds the nape of your neck and leans closer to you, kissing you so softly. "I love you." He whispers against your lips.

You suddenly hear loud claps and cheers coming from outside the room. "What is happening out there?" you ask.

"I think he told them… about us." He says. You chuckle quietly and let your forehead meet his. He feels the deep blush of your cheeks is radiating against his face, so he says: "So… where were we?" Your lips meet again, making the two of you drown in the sweet happiness of your private world. Without any spoken words, your souls are able to tell each other feelings that are kept deep inside: "I love you Noctis."

"I love you too… my angel… that's why… I can't watch you slippin' away…"

The End


End file.
